Life is Strange - Chrysalis (Chloe X Max Pricefield)
by Workard2
Summary: -This story contains content that only a mature audience should read- This story takes place at the end of episode 1 and continues to explain the happenings after episode 1 originally ended, with a different outcome- A story about friendship, relationship and the bonds we fear will ever break. *Contains "Pricefield," which means romantic relations between 2 female characters.*
1. Part 1

*Note: This is a SFW edit. You can check out my profile description, to get a link to the uncensored story*

**Life Is Strange**

Part 1 - "Lover, we will recover"

**Chapter 1**

"Have a seat, Pete," Chloe said with an unusual voice, considering the recent happenings.  
_  
She seems to be in a good mood. I wonder why? Probably none of my concern. _Max thought to herself.

"My pleasure. Feels nice out here after all that drama…" Max said as she placed herself on the bench next to Chloe. The orange sunset was incredible to look at, not to mention the weather. A slight breeze could be felt, as if it was meant to be there, to take away ones attention from the mild heat. She looked up at the lighthouse they were sitting next to, which always seemed bigger when up close. It was standing on a hill, so it is not surprising the perspective was usually a little off, when at a certain distance.

"You really took one for team-Chloe" Max's punk friend let out, while continuing to look at the sunset. Only a small smile was visible on her otherwise emotionless face, well-fitting with her style.

That was not say that Max didn't like the new look Chloe had gotten accustomed to. The blue hair was rather daring, but it fitted her quite well. The piercings were not particular pretty, but not everything is about being all happy and perfect. Max once considered a piercing, but decided against it, mostly due to the pain she had heard so much about.

Furthermore, Chloe's clothing style had changed as well. What used to be a plain t-shirt was not a low-cut, white tank top, with a black skull image on the front. Her pants were nothing extraordinary, but true to her punk style, they were a little torn. And to finish it all off, a black wool cap was placed on top of that blue hair.

"I'm not as brave as you," Max responded to Chloe's subtle compliment.  
"And David is indeed a 'step-douche'" The brown-haired girl let out, remembering the reference from before.

"I'm sorry you had to experience it firsthand," Chloe said, looking genuinely sorry.

"You have to live with him" Max was quick to say, before looking at the friend to her right.  
"Has he always been this way?" She continued. She wasn't actually interested in David in particular, considering these life-changing occurrences that had been happening quite recently. Chloe still had no idea about Max's time-reversing powers yet, so she couldn't blame her about the fact that Max had to comfort her, rather than the other way around.

Chloe still stared dead at the sunset, only making small movements every now and then.  
"Ever since my desperate mom dragged his ass to our home! …I never trusted David" Chloe said with an irritated voice. She was not always so hard to read.

_It's a good thing I took that photo he had. Maybe I can tell someone what I saw and hopefully… something will happen. _Max went through the events in her mind. _Wonder if Chloe thinks the same way though._

"I'm glad I took his photo with Kate. Just in case…" Max let out, now trying extra hard to read Chloe's face. She could of course just go back in time if she said something wrong, but those panicky-feelings when saying something stupid doesn't just go away overnight.

"Why was he all up in her shit?" Chloe said, finally looking down with her arms still crossed close to her body.

"He has some kind of weird agenda" Max responded, remembering how he treated Kate Marsh.

"He has a lot of secret files," The punk girl said, drawing the attention of Max.  
"Rambo still thinks he's gathering enemy intelligence," she continued. Chloe was always good to make a serious situation a little more entertaining. For better or for worse.

"Did you take a peek?" Chloe asked.

_I did take a peek. A good one. I respect people's privacy and all, but this is too fucked up. Wonder if she'll be mad if I told her though?_

"Uh… Files?" Max questioned, avoiding a direct answer.

"I know that look. You peeked" Chloe said smiling, still not looking at Max.  
"So, dish the dirt. Snuff videos?" She asked with a slight chuckle.

_Is she serious?_

"Creepy photos of Kate Marsh" Max choose to ignore what she believed to be a joke.  
"Other Blackwell students…" She ended with a despairing voice.

The sun had barely moved and the colors remained their orange-y look, with the birds screeching from far away. They were close to a beach after all.

"This dude takes his job too seriously. He still thinks he's at war or something," Chloe said without a pause, almost as if she had practiced those words. At least as if she had said something similar a few times before.

"He has a total surveillance fetish. I worry there are spy cams in the house," she continued, with an obvious frown.

Max's mind clicked, recalling the small hidden TV's, showing almost all of the locations inside of the Chloe's house.

"I knew you didn't know!" Max was quick to say. This needed to be said, whether Chloe would take it as a joke or not.  
"Chloe, your house is under surveillance," Max said with sympathetic tone.

"What are you talking about?" Chloe shivered, failing to look emotionless for much longer. She was clearly shocked by this revealing information.

"There are cameras all over the house"  
_  
She needs to know. She needs to know it all. She trusts me and I trust her. When I get the chance, I will tell her everything that have happened.  
_  
"I saw it on a monitor in the garage" Max braced herself for Chloe's reaction.

"I knew it! He is so hella fucking paranoid" Her emotions were out in the open. She was mad.  
"I'll keep this a secret for now," Chloe sighed, trying to loosen up.

"Sometimes ignorance is bliss" Max was trying carefully not to push any buttons.

"No wonder I'm so miserable. Everybody in this town knows everybody's secrets," Chloe said with her eyes closed, trying to trap her emotions once more. She was struggling.

_Maybe I shouldn't push for information, but there is something that needs to be asked…_

"What's Nathan's secret?" Max questioned, remembering what she heard in the bathroom. Remembering hearing Chloe's voice for the first time in years… remembering the gunshot.

"He's an elite asshole who sells bad shit cut with laxative…" Chloe answered directly, not showing signs of fearing Nathan in any way. On the other hand, maybe she just trusted Max more than anyone.

Max was prepared to move on to a different subject, but just as she opened her mouth, she was interrupted by her blue-haired friend; "and he dosed me with some drug in his room," Chloe let out, looking down at the ground.

"What?!" Max said without thinking, fighting her emotions to hug her friend and instead making the decision to let Chloe finish.

"I met him in some shit-hole bar that didn't card me. He was too rich for the place and too wasted. And he kept flashing bills…"

_This is killing me. Was she… raped?_

"Just tell me what happened, Chloe. Now" Max worded it as a command rather than a request, but every second in ignorance was tearing another hole in her already fragile heart.

"I was an idiot. I thought he was so blazed it would be an easy score," Chloe admitted, still looking like she was talking to herself. Granted, she was answering questions from the friend to her left, but she barely acknowledged her, all while Max was staring at Chloe, trying her best to read her face.

"You needed money that bad?" Max continued, still feeling like there was something missing.

"Actually, yes. I owe big time"

_I can't believe this._

"And I thought I'd have enough for me and Rachel if she showed up…"

_Rachel…_

"So what about you and Nathan?" Max asked, still with a worrying look in her eyes.

"We went to his room at Blackwell. We drank and I laughed at his rich kid bullshit. He was one step ahead and put something in my beer…" Chloe was nearly grinding her teeth while finishing her sentence.

"God Chloe, I can't believe this… I mean, I do. Then what?"

_Fuck… is my secret even that important anymore?_

Chloe turned her head, almost looking at Max, but she quickly turned her attention back at the sunset.

"I know I passed out on the floor. I woke up and that perv was smiling, crawling towards me with a camera…" Chloe said, letting out more air with each passing sentence.

"Go on…"

"Everything was a blur… I tried to kick him in the balls and broke a lamp. Nathan freaked," Chloe suddenly started talking faster. "So I managed to bum rush the door and get the hell out," Chloe took a deep breath. "Max, it was insane" she ended.

_Goddammit. That piece of shit…_

Max looked at Chloe. She clearly had some mental trauma from that event.

_Fucking cocksucker!_

"Chloe, that is so fucked up. What did you do then?" Max held in her rage, trying to get to end of the story.

"I figured I would make him pay me to keep quite. So we met in the bathroom"

_That's where… Chloe._

"And her brought a gun," Max stated.

"That was Nathans last mistake…" Chloe said, pressing her fingernails into her arm.

_A kid fucked up on drugs, running around with a gun… and having total immunity._

"He's still dangerous, Chloe. Not just to you" Anger had quickly resulted in concern from Max's side.

"Good thing you didn't tell anyone. Nathan Prescott better watch his back now…"

Max dazed into the sunset, fighting between emotions.

_I missed Chloe so much…_

"I won't always be there to save you…" Max hesitated, trying not to make it sound like she was her guardian angel of some sort.

"You were here today, Max. You saved me! I'm still tripping on that," Chloe said with a smile.

Max could feel her cheeks warming up and a reflecting smile appearing on her lips.

Chloe kept her focus on the horizon "Seeing you after all these years feels like—"

"Destiny?" Max chuckled, suddenly feeling that her situation maybe wasn't so bad. She did save Chloe and were reunited with her. Looking back, she was pretty lucky. They both were in some sense.

Chloe's smile quickly faded as she leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees and looking down, not uttering a word.

Not sure what had caused the immediate reaction; Max leaned slightly forward as well and gently placed her right hand on Chloe's back. She was warm– warmer than Max felt she herself was, despite wearing more clothes than her friend.

A moment of silence passed by as Max was unsure of what to say or do, but in spite of the tense mood, Max could feel her heart beginning to pump harder and her stomach felt light. Chloe was only wearing a low-cut tank top, so Max could feel Chloe's naked back on her hand. She resisted the urge to stroke her back, as that might send the wrong signal… in some way.

The issue suddenly became insignificant as Chloe leaned her body forward, slowly got up from her sitting position and with heavy steps began walking to the edge of the hill.

Max closed her eyes for a second while retracting her hand, before getting up as well. As she stood next to Chloe on the edge, looking at the sun slowly fading away behind the waves of the ocean, a cold breeze passed by, sending a small chill down Max's back.

"If this is destiny," Chloe said, with a lifted chin.  
"I hope we can find Rachel. I miss her, Max"

A moment of silence was hanging in the air… the wind had gotten louder and birds were now flying around behind them.

_Rachel… I wonder what sort of relationship her and Chloe had together. I guess that is none of my business though…_

Not willing to admit it, the thought of Chloe and Rachel brought a feeling of jealousy into Max's mixture of emotions. An unpleasant feeling. Still, Rachel was apparently important to Chloe, and that made her important to Max.

_I hope I can help… somehow._

"This shit-pit has taken away everyone I've ever loved…" Chloe began opening up, in a slightly frightening way.  
"I'd like to drop a bomb on Arcadia Bay and turn it to fucking glass…"

_A little harsh Chloe, but I know what you must fe-_

Suddenly a numbness entered Max's mind, weakening her legs, forcing her to take a few steps back. Without uttering a word, she could feel a sharp pain working its way through her body, up to her head. Max bend over, holding her hands to her head as it felt like her brain was pumping. Chloe finally looked at Max with concern, but this was not the time to feel satisfied by getting some attention from her friend. With no warning, a gust of wind came from her right, feeling like it passed right through her, filling her body with air. Before she was able to open her eyes, Max could feel raindrops falling on the back of head as she still held her hands in front of her face. When a lightning stroke down nearby, she woke up from her numb state and immediately knew what had happened.

_Oh no, not again…_

**Chapter 2**

Max looked up, making her able to see, hear and feel the heavy storm. She was standing on the path leading to the lighthouse. It appeared to be around nighttime.

_Why is this happening to me?_

Max had the exact same sensation as her previous blackout. The storm, the location and the feeling was all the same.

_Why am I here again?_

As Max looked forward, a deer appeared a little ahead on the path, yet it was not an ordinary deer. Not only was it being in unusually calm in the middle of a huge storm, it was also transparent. Like the night of the living deer's. Max instinctively began walking towards the ghostly deer, holding her left hand over her head to avoid getting the stabbing rain in her eyes. Though the situation raised many questions, one was more important to Max than all others were.

_Is Chloe still up there? I have to find out!_

Taking quick steps, Max pushed her body to walk forwards up the path. The storm was sound deafening and the rain was blinding her to such an extent that she was unable to notice the giant boulder that had been broken loose from a cliff nearby, heading straight for her. Only when it was a few meters in front of her, did the sound of the boulder became loud enough for Max to notice, which made her remove the hand she used to cover her face.

_Wha-_

Before Max was able to process what was going on, the giant boulder had already made contact with the lower part of her body, shattering her kneecaps and sending an immense pain through her body. Instinctively she put out her right hand and shut her eyes close with a scream. For a single second, all sound disappeared. Max's body went completely numb and her mind was unable to function. Only when she opened up her eyes with a shock, was she able to comprehend the situation. She quickly inhaled and bend down in her knees. She had traveled back in time yet again. Though it seemed to be only a few seconds, it certainly saved her life.

_Too damn close…_

Her adrenaline had fallen, only to kick-start back up.

_Chloe!_

Getting back to the issue at hand, she took a few steps to the right, noticing that due to the time travel, she was standing at the spot the rock hit her, just a some seconds earlier. It seemed like the classic "everything moves back when I rewind, but me" type of thing.

Less than a second later, a thump was heard and the very same boulder came crashing down, this time missing her by a few meters. Without being too caught up in the success, Max began walking quickly up the path yet again, this time with her right hand stretched out in front of her head, in case another life-threatening situation would appear. Rightfully so, as a tree next to the path made some alarming noises before crashing down by the force of the storm, luckily this was happening a good 5 meters in front of her, so there was no real danger as the tree hit the ground hard. It did block her path though.

_Fuck this._

Max took a few more steps before she was standing as close to the fallen tree as she was comfortable with and focused on her hand. Sure enough, as she closed her eyes, she could feel time moving backwards yet again and after mere seconds, she slowly opened her eyes and began walking forwards, confident that the tree was back on its root and it would be at least 10 seconds before it would fall. Walking straightforward with no real obstacles in her way, proved her right. After a short amount of time, she braced herself…

Expectedly, a loud cracking noise was heard, followed by thump. The tree had fallen again, this time behind her.

_This shit is freaky… but I am kicking nature's ass right now._

Felling more confident by the second, she began walking faster up the path, which had now become more of a hill. The doe was jumping around in front of her, as rain was failing straight through its body. Non-existing body that is. Avoiding a few more debris that was too close to comfort, she finally felt as if she was getting close, while the doe was still walking right in front of Max.

_I feel like the doe is leading me._

With the storm not settling down, Max had to push herself to take these remaining steps. Everything was loud, everything was dark and everything was so… unreal. A mixture of adrenaline and anger was building inside of her body– anger towards the crazy mess she had gotten herself into, anger towards the fucking storm that wouldn't let up… anger towards herself.

_I should have said something to Chloe. Not just about this bullshit power._

Max could feel her head heating up.

_Something about how… sorry I am that I abandoned her, that I kept her in the dark. That I never told her how much she means to me… fuck everyone… I just want her._

A sudden chill was sent through her spine, making her look up. She was at the hill… so close to the bench were they were sitting. There was no sign of Chloe, but the weather made the visibility awful.

_Where is…_

Her thoughts had to put on hold as she noticed the enormous tornado that was ravishing through the ocean, collecting huge amounts of random debris. The air pressure had been lowered significantly making it hard to breathe… making it hard to think.

_Holy shit…_

Max was standing before the lighthouse, only meters away from the bench.

_The only reason I'm going through all this is to see if Chloe is still there… and damn it, if I am not going to the edge of hell to find her!_

As Max clenched her fist, a smaller fishing boat was sent flying due to the tornado, heading straight for the lighthouse, before being able to realize the situation, the boat made contact with the top of the lighthouse, breaking it into several pieces.

_STOP FUCKING FIGHTING ME WORLD!_

With no regard for her safety, Max stomped her right foot down and began running as fast as she could, not caring about the needle rain. Not even caring about the lighthouse that was about to collapse down on her. Pieces of Stone broke into several pieces as they smashed down into the ground behind Max. She could feel the intensity and there was no way in hell that her determination could give up now.

Finally reaching the bench with heavy breaths, she was torn to pieces as Chloe was nowhere to be seen. Looking around rapidly, a newspaper that was caught on a small wooden pillar caught her eye. With no further reasoning, she was quick to grab a hold of it.

_The date! What date is it?!_

Aware that this was not the present, she had to make sure it was the past… and not the near future.

_October 11__th__?_

To her horror, she saw the date on the top of the printed text.

_Is this Friday? That's only four days away…_

In shock, her hands lost grip of the paper as it was forced away by the strong winds. Her arms fell down her side and her mind went dark.

_Oh no…_

She could feel her legs weakening as she looked at the tornado, moving faster by the second.

_The tornado is heading straight for the town…_

Her eyes that were already covered in water now produced their own liquid. Tears escaped from her face and the numbness hit her like a pile of bricks.

_I just want… to see Chloe again._

As her thoughts were burying themselves, a hand was placed on Max's shoulder, making her immediately turn around, to see Chloe standing before her. The rain had stopped and the sun was yet again behind the waves of the ocean– just as before. She was back. In a rush of emotions, Max fell to the ground, just being able to land on her behind. "Chloe… You're here. I'm back"

Chloe followed Max to her position as she kneeled before her and looked at Max with a concerned look.

"Oh my lord. This is real… it's real" Despite finally being back in the real world, she felt more out of touch with the world than ever. Chloe quickly placed a hand on Max's right shoulder, in attempt to make her focus, still being unsure of the situation.

"Oh man, this sucks" Max exclaimed, feeling anxious. Her eyes were watery and she was shaking all over.

"Max, what's going on? You totally blacked out…" Chloe asked concerned, still with a hand on her shoulder and looking straight into Max's wet eyes. It was clear to see Chloe was confused. They both were– on different levels admittedly.

"I didn't black out…" Max said as she moved slightly back, leading Chloe to retract her hand.

"I had another vision…" Max continued as she placed herself on her knees in same position as Chloe was in.

"The town is going to get wiped out by a tornado…" Max said, with the best convincing voice she could muster. She knew how crazy it all sounded, and God knows that wouldn't be the first thing she wanted to say when Chloe finally paid such close attention to her, as she seemed to do now.

Chloe didn't seem convinced though, but still paid close attention to Max's words.  
"Oregon gets about five tornados every 20 years. You just zoned" Chloe said, trying to make Max calm down.

Max wasn't planning to calm down just yet, as she quickly grabbed Chloe's right wrist and looked into her eyes.

"No, no. I saw it. I could actually feel the electricity in the air" Max said, looking down. Chloe was reaching out her left hand, offering Max to hold it. Max's adrenaline quickly calmed as she noticed this, and took a breath before grabbing Chloe's hand.

_She must think I am going insane… just… calm down. You need to tell her… everything. In order to do so, you need to stay calm._

"Come on, take a breath, okay?" Chloe said, moving her head close to Max's, trying to get her to calm down. The comfort of Chloe seemed to help lowering her heartbeat. Max looked into Chloe's hazy eyes, as she took a firmer grip around her hand. She really was concerned.

"Chloe, I'm not crazy. But there's something else I have to tell you. Something… hardcore"

Max knew it was time to talk to someone about this, and Chloe… Chloe seemed to be the right person.

"Talk to me Max" Chloe said as she moved her thumb across Max's hand.

_She trusts me… she cares about me. I should at least do the same. Even if she won't believe me… here it goes._

"I had this same version earlier in class… When I came out of it, I discovered I could reverse time" Max shook her head.  
"Like I said: not crazy"

Chloe looked at her, with the most confusing look yet.  
"But high, right?"

Max tightened her grip around Chloe's hand once more.  
"Listen to me. How do you think I saved you in the bathroom?"

Max pulled Chloe closer, as Chloe let go off Max's grip around hand and instead lifted her arm and placed her hand on Max's shoulder.

"By reversing time? Yeah, sure"  
Chloe was leaning towards Max, gazing into her eyes with a look of concern.

_She thinks I am crazy… but… I did save her. I saw her die and it was the most awful feeling I ever felt. I didn't even know it was her at the time, but now that I do know it was her… it breaks my heart. She actually did die… if I weren't there… I would never have seen her again. Never talked to her again… I would miss my chance at… she needs to believe me!_

"I saw you get shot, Chloe. Saw you actually… die" Max swallowed before continuing.  
"I was able to go back and hit the fire alarm…"

Chloe was quick to put her hands on both sides of Max's arms, while she was shaking her head. Max could see she wanted to believe her… but that it was just too weird.

"Okay. I see you're a geek now with a great imagination, but this isn't an anime or a video game," Chloe said, moving her left hand up and down Max's right shoulder.  
"People don't have those powers, Max…"

"I don't know what I have… But I have it" Max let out, looking at Chloe, feeling her touch.  
"And I'm scared shitless"

Chloe gently stroke Max's shoulder with her thump, still trying to get her thinking clearly.

"You need to get high. It's been a hella insane fucking day…"

Max shook her head once more.

_She won't believe you. Of course she won't. It's too fucked up… I just wish she would. I wish she would understand and comfort me. That she would sit up all night with me and talk with me about it. I wish she were there when I was freaking out… there to hold m– what just landed on my nose?_

Max could feel something landing softly on the tip of her nose. Snapping out of her thoughts, she wiped it off and looked up at the sky. It was… snowing. She looked at Chloe who looked equally surprised as she was looking at the snow landing on her arms.

"What the hell is this?" Chloe exclaimed.

"Snowflakes…" Max responded instantly.

"It's like 80 degrees… How?" Chloe asked as she got up from her position.

"Climate change" Max said in a confident voice. She knew there was a connection. Before continuing, Max got up as well.  
"Or a storm is coming" she ended, looking at the snow hitting the ground.

"Max" Chloe let out. This was the evidence Max needed that something was indeed going on.  
"Start from the beginning" She said, holding out her hands with a concerned look.

**Chapter 3**

"I…" Max hesitated.  
"I had a dream… where I was running around this place, with a giant storm surrounding me" Max began her story, as she moved a little back from Chloe.  
"I woke up in class… everything went normally. Everything seemed normal. After the class had finished…"

Max looked up at Chloe who was standing at the same spot, looking speechless. The white snow was falling down around her, either grazing her bare skin or getting caught in her wool cap and eventually melting.

"After the class…" Max picked it up.  
"I went to the bathroom, just to freshen up. I went behind a stall because I saw something… I think it was butterfly"

_It was a butterfly. I've been looking at the picture I took of it every second hour._

Max took a breath. "I heard someone come in. It was Nathan, spouting some shit as if he was having a panic attack" Max was recalling the events over in her head and she could feel the emotions building. Without looking up, she continued.

"Then you walked in… I heard you guys talk about all that stuff, before he pulled a gun… I wanted to help you, I really did!" Max looked up, almost yelling.

Chloe was quick to react as she noticed the tear that was building in the corner of Max's right eye. She quickly walked over to Max and placed her arms around her. "I know you did," she whispered reassuringly.

"I was scared" Max tried to not whine. It wasn't her best efforts.

Chloe did her best to comfort Max as she slowly began stroking her back. Max didn't feel less sad, but she felt safer.

"He began aiming it at you and I was ready to… do something. Jump out or... whatever" Max felt as if she needed to continue. "If I knew it was you, I would have stepped in immediately. I would have… jumped in front of the shot and- and…" Max stuttered, as Chloe broke in.  
"Don't break into song now Max" Chloe grinned, still holding her in her arms.  
Max couldn't help but to chuckle as a tear escaped her eye and made its way to the ground.

"Sorry" Max let out, with her head on the top of Chloe's chest.

_You haven't shrunken even a little Chloe… I wish I could hug you and actually be head-to-head with you._

"As he took the shot…" Max continued in an effort to end the story.

"I jumped out with my right hand stretched and… everything happened in slow-motion before my vision went dark, and when I was able to see again, I was back in class. Freaking out more than ever… the rest you probably know" Max took a breath as if she had just finished a speech.

"So… you turn back time simply by lifting your hand?" Was the first question Chloe asked.

"Yes. Sorta. I just lift my hand and… focus"

Chloe finally retracted from the hug and bend her knees slightly, so she was at eyesight with Max.  
Her hands were placed on both Max's shoulders, while having a smile on her face. "I really mean something to you, don't I?" Chloe asked, making Max show a confused look.

"Of course!" she was quick to answer. "When I blacked out before, I was walking around… looking for you. I was so concerned. When you showed up, I finally felt… less confused. Less scared. So when I thought you were gone again, I just had to–"

"Alright" Chloe interrupted.  
"All I needed was a yes" Chloe smiled.  
"If you care about me, I know you wouldn't lie to me. However fucked up it may sound… I believe you"

_Holy fuck…_

Max's heart skipped a beat as she realized something she should have known for a long time.

_She believes me… and I am not even surprised. She has always supported me. There is nothing that means more to me than her… I fucking love her._

Max looked into Chloe's glowing eyes; she could see her reflection… she was smiling.

_Fuck!_

Whichever way she put it, being in love with Chloe was messed up. This was not the time nor the place to have such emotions.

"Ehh, Max. Are you alright?" Chloe asked, tilting her head.

She had observed Max's weird facial expressions.

Max quickly focused and took a step back.

"I'm great" she was quick to respond. Her whole body was tense and she felt anxious.

_Now what? I could… run._

How stupid the idea may have seemed, Max was seriously considering it.

Chloe's arm fell down her side as she looked down.  
"Alright then. Do you think that maybe we should head back? Not that I don't enjoy hanging with you, I just don't want my dad to flip out again. God knows what he'll do"

Max pondered the request; she felt going home was the safest bet. Could give her some time to think about the situation. At least bury herself in the ground, never to be found again.

"Yeah, sounds good. I'll just take the bus back home" Max replied, not wanting to ask Chloe to drive her home.

"Really? There's like 45 minutes before it arrives. You don't want me to give you a lift?" Chloe asked while adjusting her cap.

Max looked up at Chloe that was standing before her. The sparkling sunlight was gently lighting up her features. Her blue hair, her smooth skin and her mysterious face.

_Dammit Chloe. Even the thought of sitting in a car with you makes my heart beat faster. This is so… bongos!_

"Nah. I'll just sit here and wait. Thanks for the offer though" Max sent a reassuring smile her way.

In an attempt to cool off, Max quickly removed the gray hoodie she was wearing and threw it on the bench nearby.

Chloe stayed silent for just a second too long.  
"Alright Max" she finally said, before taking two steps closer to Max before opening up her arms for a hug.

_It's a trap!_

Fighting her urge to jump off the cliff, Max opened up her arms as well and went in for the goodbye hug. Locking her arms around Chloe and burring her face in her shoulder, she could feel her face getting warmer just as her lips were gently being placed on Chloe's naked skin.

"But tomorrow…" Chloe said as she broke the hug and placed her hands on Max's shoulders yet again.  
"We're gonna talk about all this time travel stuff. It sounds hella awesome" She smiled.

Max had her eyes locked on Chloe's face. Her mind was way outside of her head and her heart was fighting to explode out of her chest.

_I could always… travel back in time._

Max let her focus fall down onto Chloe's smiling lips.

_I could… just try it._

"Max?" Chloe said with her arms still resting Max's shoulders.

With a final mentality kick, Max moved her head closer, with her right arm twitching, ready to turn back time. Her heart was pumping excessively much blood through her system at the rate it was beating and her face was nearly glowing red like a tomato. Inches before reaching Chloe's lips, Max closed her eyes and for a split-second, her heart stopped beating.

Their lips had touched. Max could feel her heart kick starting back and her whole body shaking. She could feel the small pressure surrounding her lips and the slight moisture being created between them.

_Holy shit. I am kissing Chloe._

Not wanting to get slapped, Max was quick to come to her senses and began lifting up her right arm. Her whole body was feeling tingly and her legs felt wobbly. It was an amazing, mind-blowing feeling, but it had to end. Max began focusing on her right hand and getting ready to go back a few seconds.

Just as Max could feel time reversing, Chloe took a hold of her arm and placed it back down Max's side. Before Max was able to comprehend the situation, she could feel Chloe kissing back. What started as an awkward peck on the lips had turned into a passionate kiss between the two girls. Max felt Chloe placing her right arm on her back, pushing her closer.

Involuntarily, Max let out a moan as Chloe pulled Max close while remaining the intense kiss. Max got the feeling that her instincts took over as she reached her right arm around Chloe, placing her hand just below her right shoulder. Her other hand quickly grabbed ahold around Chloe's waist.

Max could hear– even feel Chloe breathing heavily. Occasionally, they both slightly opened their mouth and tilted their heads the other way. A hand was placed on the back of Max's head and said hand, began playfully shuffle through her brown hair. The intensity began rising as they slowly began grinding they bodies up against each other, while their tongues made contact. Max couldn't help but to gently scratch Chloe on her back as she let out, yet another, moan.

Finally, after what must have been several minutes, their mouths finally departed and they both went on to take deep breaths. "Holy cow…" Max whispered.

_What the FUCK… just happened? Chloe forced my arm down when I tried to reverse time._

Max took a quick peek at Chloe and noticed she was blushing quite heavily.

_She wanted this?_

They stood around a meter from each other, still trying to catch their breaths. Max could feel her heart throbbing and her mind going crazy. She nearly squealed like a fan-girl when she realized what had just happened. She looked up with a smile, to see Chloe looking down. Her smile was quick to fade as she saw the downhearted expression on Chloe. Max mustered up all her courage, to utter a few words.

"Chloe… are you… okay?" Max questioned awkwardly.

Chloe briefly looked up, before looking down again.

"Y- yeah. I think I am gonna head home" Chloe said as she turned around.

_What?_

Max's thoughts began shuffling around, unsure if she should stop her or let her go. Maybe it was a mistake after all…

The snow had stopped appearing, but the heat had remained, with the sun getting closer to disappearing behind the ocean. Chloe had taken a few steps away from Max, not saying anything.

Max could feel her body, begging her to do something. Her mind couldn't focus, but her legs knew what she wanted.

_Goddammit!_

With no second thoughts, Max took a few quick steps towards Chloe before grapping her arm, making her turn around.

"Wait…" Max spoke in a low voice, making it sound like she was whispering.

"I don't want to make you stay if you don't want to…" Max let go of Chloe's arm and looked down.  
"But I can't let you go, not knowing what to think" She ended, looking back up.

Chloe was staring at her, with her blue eyes and a bewildered look.  
"I'm sorry" Chloe suddenly let out.

Max widened her eyes, ready to question her choice of words, but before she was able to; Chloe continued.

"I know you wanted to go back in time after kissing me. I know you probably just wanted to try it or whatever…" Chloe began rubbing her own right arm with her left hand.  
"But if you did reverse time… _I_ wouldn't have tried it. Or at least I wouldn't have remembered it"  
Chloe paused for a second, as taking time to convince herself to say the last words.  
"I want to remember it" She ended.

Seeing Chloe finally showing her vulnerable side, stunned Max for a second. This was not just her silly crush anymore. There was a chance of something real…

"Chloe, I-"For whatever reason, Max could feel a tear starting to appear under her right eye.

_There is no way to avoid this being cheesy, is there…_

"I realized something after I blacked out… in my dream– or whatever it was, my main focus was to find you. I literally almost died, trying to see you again" Max was making hand gestures, trying to get her point across.  
"All I have been able to think about this whole day… was you. Not because of the events that have happened, but because…" she paused, having a hard time finding the words.  
"What I am trying to say… When I think about you, I don't think about Nathan because he shot you, I don't think about David because he yelled at you… I think about you… and me. Being together. Hanging out in your room, listening to some death-punk or whatever that music is. You'd smoke a joint and I'd be cool with it, because then you mind would be hazy enough for you to let me take advantage of you" Max tried to squeeze in a joke, as she looked up at Chloe, unsure if it worked.  
To her relief, Chloe no longer looked sorrowful. Quite the contrary, she had been smiling for quite a while.

"I just…" Max tried to continued, while giggling.  
"I just want to be with you" she ended with a smile.

**Chapter 4**

As the top of the sun was close to disappearing behind the vast ocean, a blue-haired girl took two steps closer to the friend before her. The wind was playing a playful melody as it passed through the curves and cracks in its surroundings, while the birds sounded like they were possessed by singing angels. A few clouds were gathering up above these two girls, admiring the beauty of the moment that was about to come. The blue-haired girl placed her two feet next to each other as she leaned her head next to her friends left ear, only to whisper a few important words…

"You're such a dork sometimes," Chloe whispered before smiling.  
"And I love that" She was able to let out, just before placing her lips on the side of Max's neck.

Max lifted up her head, to take a deep breath. The feeling… of being aware that it was Chloe's lips that were pressed up against her skin, forced her to bite down on her own lower lip.

Max could feel her body almost burning as the pressure on her neck became tighter and fiery. Surprised by the almost exhausting feeling, Max let her head fall down; resting on Chloe's shoulder as she unwillingly began breathing heavily. Not making the situation less intense, Max could feel Chloe's lips moving lower down her neck as a hand was placed on the lower part of back, dangerously close to her behind.

Max was close to panting as Chloe bit down on the top of Max's pink shirt and began dragging it down her arm, exposing her naked shoulder that Chloe seemed to have no problem kissing as well. The hand Chloe had placed on her back had begun circling around, resulting in a few fingers occasionally slipping inside Max's pants and touching her panties.

Max could no longer stand idly, and reached her arms around her friend into a tight hug, careful not to pierce her friends back with her fingernails. A task that became increasingly more difficult as Max could feel a tongue making contact with the lower part of her shoulder.

Involuntarily, Max's hand grabbed a hold of the back of Chloe's shirt and began dragging it down. It was not her intention, but the left strap on Chloe's tank top was dragged off her shoulder and fell down her arm. If it was not because of Chloe having her right arm on Max's back, the other strap would most likely had fallen off as well, resulting in the tank top dropping to the ground all together.

When Chloe felt her strap not being in place any longer, she retracted from the shoulder kiss, which lead to Max letting her grip go of her friend.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to…" Max was quick to say, but unable to finish the apology, as she saw Chloe sending a smirk her way, before grabbing the bottom of her tank top and lifting it above her head, proceeding to throw it on the dry ground next to her. Max was sure she would die of some sort of rare blushing death, as she looked at Chloe's body, that was now exposed to the point of her only wearing a black bra on her torso.

_Don't drool, don't drool…_

Max knew she was staring, but she couldn't help it. Chloe had such a perfectly curved body, with slightly pale skin.

_Just a quick peek…_

Max quickly focused her sight a little more up her friend's body, before seeing the black bra and the top of Chloe's breasts. Admittedly, they were not mind-blowing in size, but they undoubtedly had no problem making Max unattached from her mind.

_Do I… Do I remove my shirt as well?_

Max stood perfectly still, praying to God that Chloe would make the next move, because Max sure was uncertain of what to do. Her silent prayers was for once heard, as Chloe took a small step closer to Max while remaining her smile. She could obviously see that Max was bewildered.

Chloe was standing only inches from Max, sending a warm breath onto her forehead, as Max felt her body twitching. She was nervous, but excited as well. Every warm breath that hit her forehead was like a countdown to insanity. Furthermore, Max could also feel her heart pounding and her body tingling as well, just waiting to lose control. Max looked at Chloe's chest, moving silently up and down every time Chloe took a breath, before she lifted her head up a little and moved slightly closer. Their lips were gently touching one another, as their breaths collided. Chloe was no longer smiling, but had an expression of lust painted on her face. She wanted Max to make the next move. Normally, that would have been a hassle for the shy Max, but her body's desire was stronger than ever and her mind no longer had a say in the matter. Max pressed her lips against Chloe's as she once again lashed her arms around her friend, while remaining the passionate kiss. Chloe was evenly eagerly and was quick to kiss back. Max had her hands placed on Chloe's naked back, as she could feel the breasts that were pressing up against her body. Without warning, Chloe opened up her mouth and moved her tongue into Max's mouth. For a third time, Max automatically sent out a moan as she returned the action by involving her tongue into the kiss as well. As their tongues were now playfully moving over and under each other, Max's fingers began scratching Chloe on her back, with enough force that it would definitely leave some marks. Neither of them seemed to care though, as they continued the intimate kiss.

Chloe's hand that had been on standby for a while, now grabbed a hold of the bottom of Max's pink shirt, and very slowly began lifting it upwards, almost asking for permission to get rid of this piece of clothing. With no argument, Max lifted up her arms so Chloe could lift the shirt up over her head. Their lustful lips had a moment of separation as the shirt came in between, but it wasn't long before the shirt was off and thrown on the ground. Max felt embarrassed to be standing around in her white bra, but there was no time to adapt to the feeling, as Chloe instantly began kissing Max yet again with the exact same level of passion as before. As Chloe moved in close, Max felt Chloe's breasts being squeezed up against her own, sending a wave of chills throughout her body.

Max's body had a deep desire for her friend. She wanted her even closer. She wanted to feel every part of her body, and Chloe clearly felt the same way, as Max could feel a hand being placed on her left butt-check. At that exact moment, Max took her arms around Chloe and prepared for whatever came next.

_Oh God, oh-_

"God!" Max let out the moment Chloe's hand began squeezing Max's butt, which made her lift her head up, resisting the urge to scream. Chloe didn't let up though, as she quickly took her other hand and placed it on Max's behind as well. Max automatically began clenching and bending her back forward, making her stomach being pressed up against Chloe's. With no restrain, both Cloe's hands began groping Max's behind, sending a sensation through Max's body that felt dangerously close to an orgasm. Almost as a reflex, Max pressed her lips up against Chloe's once again, and began frantically kissing her while breathing heavily. They both began grinding their bodies up against each other while moaning in rhythm. Max's right hand almost had a mind of its own; as it removed itself from Chloe's back and placed itself on her friend's left breast. Every time Chloe decided to squeeze her friends butt, Max automatically returned the favor by squeezing Chloe's breast. The pace became faster as they both were breathing heavily. Eventually, Chloe took a firm grip around Max's behind, before pressing Max's lower body towards her own, leading their crotches to be pressed up against each other. This was end destination for Max's body, as she was losing control. She could feel an overwhelming sensation of tingles throughout her body, her vision went blurry and her head felt light as a feather. After a few seconds, her legs gave up and she was forced to the ground, breathing more heavily than ever.

"Holy shit" was all Max was able to muster in-between breaths, while supporting her weight with her knees and hands on the ground.

Chloe had to catch her breath as well before she was able to speak out a few words. "Did you… whew!" Chloe bend forward placing her hands on her knees as if she had just run a marathon. "Did you just have an o-" she tried to continue, but was quickly interrupted by Max.

"Don't… laugh" Max smiled while still on the ground like some four-legged animal.

"Hey, I'd take that as a compliment on my part" Chloe chuckled, feeling as if her breath had slowly returned to normal.

"I think maybe we should grab our clothes… starting to get a little chilly" Max admitted, noticing her shirt lying a few feet to her left.

"Hey" Chloe let out, making Max look up. Chloe was reaching out her hand, wanting to help Max up from the ground.

Max sent a quick smirk before grabbing Chloe's hand, and with little effort, she managed to get back up on her feet, still feeling a little wobbly.

"So…" Chloe looked away, with a slight blush. Whether that it was her blush wearing off or a new one appearing was hard to say. "Do you ehh… want to just act like this never happened or?..." she asked with a quiet voice.

"Chloe" Max said, looking at Chloe with a raised eyebrow.  
"Our clothes" she continued, trying to get Chloe's priorities straight.

Chloe gave up on trying to avoid eye contact, and looked at Max that was standing before her with crossed arms. "Right" she responded, scratching the back of her head.

"Besides" Max began as she was walking towards her pink shirt lying on the ground.  
"If I wanted to act like this never happened," Max bend down grabbing a hold of her shirt.  
"I would just go back in time, so it literally never would have happened" she ended, looking over at Chloe with a cute smile, before putting her shirt back on.

"Makes sense…" Chloe sighed, still standing on the same spot without even paying attention to the fact she was still shirtless.

Luckily, Max had been kind enough the grab Chloe's tank top as well.

"Question is," Max said, as she walked over to Chloe to hand her, her clothes.  
"Do you want to act like it never happened? Did it mean something to you?" She questioned, reaching out her hand with the white tank top.

"Let's not pretend as if we were in a bad romantic movie," Chloe said emotionless as she grabbed the clothes from Max's hands.

"Oh" Max let her arm fall down her side as Chloe was putting on her tank top.  
"Sorry" she looked away embarrassed.

_Better not pry into her feelings…_

Max closed her eyes, feeling disappointed.

_I mean, it's not like I expected this to be her huge reveal of how much she has always loved me…_

Max let out an internal sigh.

_But… I hope this doesn't mean that it was just the heat of the moment._

Suddenly, a hand was placed on Max's face, making her turn her head forward and open up her eyes. The only thing she saw was Chloe's closed eyes and red cheeks before her, as she could feel a pair of lips being placed on her own. It lasted less than a few seconds before Chloe pulled back and looked at Max with a smile. "But for what it's worth…" she said, standing in the little sunlight that was left.  
"I think you should forget about the bus and let me drive you home," The blue-haired girl said with a pleasing smile.

The sun finally disappeared over the ocean and the sky had become nearly cloud-free, with the lighthouse still standing tall besides the two smiling girls.

"Yeah. I'd like that"

**The end of part 1.  
**


	2. Part 2

*Note: This is a SFW edit. You can check out my profile description, to get a link to the uncensored story*

**Life is Strange**

Part 2 – New Storms for Older Lovers

**Chapter 1**

"Is this close enough to your dorm?"

"It's not technically a dorm, but yeah, it's perfect"

I looked at the dashboard in the car. The time was 11:50 and Chloe needed to put more gas in her car apparently.

"Alright. I know you're not exactly an early-birdie, but we need to catch up tomorrow," Chloe said as she leaned back in her seat.

"On account of the time travel news?" I questioned with a smile.

Chloe looked at the rear view mirror, with a hesitant look.

"Yeah. On account of that" She let out with more air than what was necessary.

And then I fucking kissed her.  
Goddammit, I should have kissed her.

Max let the black pen fall out of her hand as she closed her plain notebook. She looked at the watch on the wall to her right. 01:12 am.

_I should really get some sleep._

With no thought for her safety, Max let her head fall down onto the table she was sitting at, not worrying about the fact that her arms could have cushioned the blow.

_Frigging body. My heart just won't calm down. I feel like I have helium locked in my damn head._

Max closed her eyes for a second, but the feeling of overwhelming emotions that hit her, soon became too much. With a deep sigh, she lifted her head back up and opened her notebook yet again, before grapping her black pen.

_Here I am. Sitting in my little room, in the middle of the night, writing. Great._

I wonder if she waited for me to kiss her… she kept looking at me, with that smile. I have known her for years now, and I don't know what that smile actually means. Maybe it just means "Hey buddy" maybe it's just some dumb friendly smile. I kinda wish it was. I kinda wish that Chloe only wanted us to be friends. It's odd, but that would take the pressure off. Then I wouldn't have to plan every move I need to make. The relief would probably quickly turn into despair though, but if there is a change of something real… then what should I do? Should I text her, so she would have something nice to read in the morning? Would that… push her away?

I am not thinking clearly… I am actually kind of freaking out. I wish… HERE IS THE DAMN THING! I EITHER WISH I HAD MORE COURAGE OR I WISH THAT… that it would never have happened. I can't… these emotions are fucking with me. Tomorrow… let me embrace tomorrow.

_Birds… if it wasn't for birds, would people actually even wake up? _

Max opened her eyes and took some time to think about where she actually was. Birds were chipping. She was not in her bed.  
"Goddammit" she whispered to herself as she lifted up her head and realized she had been sleeping bend over the damn table, with her face down the notebook. "Phone…" Max lifted herself up and began wobbling her way towards the desk besides her bed. "Oh no, I have been shot" Max whispered to herself as she lifelessly fell face-first down onto the bed, but not without grapping her phone in the process. A fancy little smartphone, with a raccoon sticker on the back.  
"And here comes the light of a million suns" pressing a button on the side, Max was able to unlock her phone and bring upon the desktop of her phone. "7:40. No messages. Tuesday. Tornado destroying the town, only 3 days away. Yes"

_I should probably be more concerned about that… _

With a sudden move, Max bounced herself up from the bed, planting her two feet solid on the floor. Her actions saved her a second or two, but made her head dizzy.

_Probably just a dream though…_

Max walked past the mirror on her wall, she did not need confirmation that she looked like a mess. She could feel that her hair was not in the right place, all puffy and curly. She even failed to undress before going to sleep, which is apparently a bad thing.

_Badum bakaka tss. I need a shower._

As she tried hard to keep thinking about stuff that didn't involve actual feelings and emotions, Max grabbed a towel that was hanging down from her closet, along with some clean clothes that had spent the night on a chair. Max often reassured herself that her future self would clean the place up. As she opened her door to the world outside of her room, the regular morning chat was heard coming for the regular morning students. "I barely got any sleep," a girl that looked suspiciously like Dana, said to an unidentified girl in front of her. Taking a few more steps towards the shower room, Max pinpointed her focus and agreed with herself that it probably was Dana. Walking through the hall, past a few doors and posters, Max finally arrived at the only door she wanted to open at this point of the day. When she found herself inside the shower room, Max dared to look into one of the mirrors. Her suspicion was correct; she was a mess. Yet, another thing came to mind. A specific thing that she had had in the back of her head ever since she woke up.

_What's the harm?_

Max walked into the shower stall of her choice, quickly closed the door and began undressing.

_Cold. Cold. Cold._

Multitasking like a professional, Max was able to turn on the shower while taking off her jeans. The noise made from the water hitting the tiles was oddly comforting. It was noisy however. After throwing her pants and panties on the pile of her other smelly clothes, her foot went in to test the temperature of the waters. This led to the decision every person had to make many times during his or her lives. Do I want to wait around– naked, until the water gets to a comfortable temperature, or do I want to save some time and just walk right in to the liquid ice-cubes? Max decided to be brave today and forced her body to walk in under the cold water. It seemed like a bad decision at first, but her body quickly adapted to the temperature. It wasn't long before her hair was good and wet, along with the rest of her body.

_Oh nooo, where are you going hand?_

Max closed her eyes while letting her hand work its way down her body. It was not something Max normally did early in the morning, but considering the recent happenings– and the fact that she was alone, she might as well entertain herself for a little while. Standing around rarely brought up any sort of entertainment after all.

_I wonder if Chloe has awoken yet. Getting dressed. Maybe she slept naked? _

Max let her mind wander as she placed her left hand on the wall before her.

_I wish I were lying beside her. Naked. She would probably spoon me. The feeling of her body being pressed up against mine…_

Max was remembering the sensation from the other day, when Chloe grabbed her ass. Max felt her heart beating faster and her body tensing. The mere thought of Chloe brought giddy feelings throughout her body.

_We made an implied agreement that I it would be my turn next time…_

"Some idiot woke me up in the middle of the night while I was sleeping," a female voice was suddenly heard.

"Dammit!" Max whispered a little too loudly as she quickly removed her hand from her crotch.

"I didn't see Max at all yesterday evening. It was probably her going to her room," a second voice responded.

_Are they completely unaware of the fact that I can hear them? Or do they just don't care?_

From the sound of the voices, Max knew it was Victoria and Taylor making the annoying chatter.  
Max took a breath before turning off the waters and grabbing her towel. The voices had disappeared, but Max was certain she didn't hear them leave. However, she refused to worry about it and began rubbing her face with the towel while the water was dripping down from her body. Suddenly a snicker was heard. It sounded like it came from the other side of the shower door.

"Incoming!" A girl yelled.

Max quickly looked up to see a dust of white powder rain down upon her. Instinctively, she placed her arms in front of her face, but it was useless. Her wet body was like glue to the powder, and before she was able to comprehend the situation, half her body was covered with a mixture of powder and water, creating a sticky mass.

"What the hell?!" Max shouted out in anger.  
"That's for waking me up in the middle of the night," Victoria laughed, as Taylor and her exited the room.  
"You fuckers!" Max exclaimed as she clinched her first. They were already gone.

_God-fucking-dammit. That…_

Resisting the urge to run after Victoria and punch her stupid face, Max instead turned the water back on in order to get the sticky powder off her body. A process that took considerably longer than the average shower.

20 minutes later, Max finally decided that she was clean enough. Her skin was red due to excessive rubbing to get it all off, but she felt relieved that she was finally able to put on her clothes. On her way out of the stalls, she took a quick look in the mirror. She looked worse than she did when she had entered the showers. Her eyes had a hint of anger and annoyance in them, her hair couldn't decide which style it wanted to be in and her whole body was tense. Just she opened the door to the hallways; the smug face of Victoria was the first thing she saw. She was standing beside some boy that hid his face behind a cap and messy hair. Taking quick steps past the conversing douches, Max noticed something out the corner of her eye. The crooked smile of a girl. The single crow in the storm that had it all: the biggest tree with the widest leaves to keep out the rain; the rain that was the low-bar in the chart of a young life. With crossed arms and a tilted leg, Victoria was the one wearing the crooked smile as a prize for breaking the wings of the ones fighting to stay in the air. Max's next step was heavier, more in rhythm with her anger. Luckily, before her instincts took over, she found herself standing before the door to her room. Letting herself inside, the first thing Max did was to shut the door behind her and pressing 'play' on the stereo that was placed on her shelf. At the sound of guitar strings being played, Max sat down on her bed and placed her head in the palms of her warm hands. With a sigh, she let the music take over her emotions.

_"__I'm reading over your shoulder, __it says it in every line, in every curve and crack. __It says it in every detail of your face, __unmistakably apparent in this dull light. __Tracing a separate letter, forming a separate word.__  
__Twisting together to build the same beautiful sentence, __the same painful realization. __The cracks in your lips__  
__open with the book and __the smile shows the lines in your face. __Perfectly crooked and __perfectly familiar"_

Max gently placed her thumbs over her closed eyelids and applied a small amount of pressure. She could feel her eyes… more pressure. Red shapes began appearing in the vast darkness. More pressure. The red was now covering up the black, with moving shapes and blue dots. The music had been drifting away, unobservant. A controllable pain appeared.

_Don't flinch…_

Suddenly a vibrating noise came from her phone on the desk beside her. Max nearly gasped as she removed her hands from her face, and just as she did, the music had returned. Max tried not to shake as she reached out her right hand to get her phone. With slow moments and a blurred vision, she took longer than usual to unlock it.

**NEW MESSAGE**  
**[Chloe :) – 8:12]**  
**Awoken from your slumber?**  
**When are you done with your classes today?**

The odd feeling Max had tried to ignore the entire morning, suddenly loosened up. It was not gone, but it felt lighter. It was nice to know that Chloe still wanted to talk to her. Still, Max had a hard time deciding how to respond. Should she be witty? Romantic?

**Around 3, I think.**

Max hit send and instantly regretted it. Her intention was a relaxed, mellow message, but reading it back to herself, she feared it might have sounded cold. Half a minute passed, with no other feeling than impatience. The instant her phone made the first vibration, Max unlocked her phone and read the words on the screen.

**NEW MESSAGE**  
**[Chloe :) – 8:13]**  
**Cool. I'll come pick you up and we'll hang out. I got something I want to try.**  
**Btw, the number 3 looks like a butt.**

A snicker was involuntary made by Max as she fell back in her bed with a smile.

_How does she do that… just a simple remark and the world is a brighter place._

Max felt silly for wondering about so many things, when Chloe was clearly laid-back about the whole situation. She always knew she could learn a thing or two from her friend.

**Chloe; blowing my mind since 1999.**  
**Just wait outside the main entrance. Can't wait :)**  
**Btw, the number 30 looks like a butt, laying a giant egg xD**

Max barely had time to clap herself on the shoulder of her witty remark, before Chloe had responded.

**NEW MESSAGE**  
**[Chloe :) – 8:13]**  
**NO EMOJI!**  
**Holy shit though.**

Max ran her right hand through her hair before shaking her head with a wide grin. Talking with Chloe never failed to ground Max when she was in a float-y mood.  
As she got up from her bed to get ready for classes, Max looked in the mirror on her wall.

_Mirror, mirror on the wall… please don't melt because of my hotness._

As Max took a few light steps closer to her door, the phone in her hand began vibrating again. Max was quick to read it though.

**NEW MESSAGE**  
**[Chloe :) – 8:14]**  
**303030303030303030303030**

Max looked at her phone for a short amount of time, before letting her head fall backwards with a lasting smile on her lips.

_My God, Chloe._

As Max placed the phone in right-front pocket, she stood still for a few seconds to allow the playing song to finish.

_"__Someday not far away from here__, __my dear, I swear I'll see you__  
__and we will hear the seraphs cry,__for they will still envy you and I.__  
__How they envied you and I. __How they envied you and I. __How they envied you and I__"_

**Chapter 2**

"When you go to take a picture, your mind hastily creates the image before you pull out your camera. It raises expectations. The fallout from this is often disappointment, but never fail to remember that a picture you can imagine, is a just a picture. Whereas a picture that can only be imagined by looking at it; is a vigorous photograph"

_Very interesting Mr. Jefferson and I mean no disrespect by this, but can you please shut up so I can meet up with Chloe?_

Sitting in photography class, Max was staring at the clock while half-listening to her teacher, Mark Jefferson. The time was already 3:10 and she didn't want to keep her friend waiting. Normally a few extra minutes to hear Jefferson talk about photography would be just fine with Max, but not now, not today. Max took a glance at her teacher who was walking around in circles.

_Looks like he forgot to pretty-up this morning. He looks more tired than usual._

Max took a closer look.

_Or has he always looked like that? Maybe Chloe has literally ruined men for me._

"Any questions?" Jefferson had noticed Max staring at him, but she was unsure if the question was directed at her or the whole class. Max just silently shook her head.

A few seconds passed. "Alright" he said before turning around.

Max quickly looked around. Victoria was sitting in her usual spot, gazing at Mr. Jefferson, looking like she wanted to lock him in a basement or some equally messed up stuff. Max was just happy that she wasn't trying to annoy or embarrass her.

"That's it for today. Remember to have a brief description of Richard Avedon's early works ready for tomorrow. I don't want opinions, just details" he ended, before moving some papers around on his desk.

_They were boootiful. Now, I gotta get going._

Quickly placing her notebook in her backpack, Max got up and was the first to be out the door.

_I don't understand how time can still be such a big factor in my life, considering that I can literally reverse the shit out of it. I need to come with some sort of system, so I can use it efficiently._

Shifting between fast walking and running, Max was quick to be out the door leading to the outside world. One of the benefits of not being popular was that no one was trying to stop her, or to get her attention.

_Now to find Chloe's 4-wheeler._

Max walked at a slower pace, scanning the area around the parking spots.

_4-wheeler? Isn't every car a 4-wheeler anyway? Four wheels…_

Thinking about cars, always made Max feel less than intelligent. She knew that she was probably wrong and there was a fair reason to call a vehicle a 4-wheeler, but Max wasn't too interested in the answer.

Feeling slightly nervous about the fact that Chloe's car wasn't anywhere to be seen, Max took her phone out of her pocket and checked the time.

_3:16. She should be here. Maybe she parked somewhere else?_

Putting her phone back in her pocket, Max began walking from side to side with quite obvious, repeating movements.

_Maybe she forgot? Maybe she bailed on me? Doesn't seem like her, though she can be somewhat unfocused at times._

Suddenly a loud honking noise burst through her ears and blew her thoughts away.  
"HOLY SHIT! FUCK!" Max loudly exclaimed as she jumped up.  
She quickly looked in the direction of the noise and saw a car driving slowly towards her, with a hysterical laughing Chloe inside of it.

Max held her hand on her chest and sighed deeply.

_Next 5 minutes will be spend with Chloe laughing uncontrollably. No doubt._

Max prepared herself as Chloe opened the door. Sure enough, she was laughing.

"Holy fuck Max!" Chloe exclaimed with watery eyes and an open mouth.  
"That was the most surprised I have ever seen you!" Chloe kept laughing aloud, barely having the time to take a breath.

Max sent a death-stare towards Chloe as she walked angrily towards her.

"Ohhh shit," Chloe said frightened as she saw the approaching Max, with knives in her eyes.  
"I'M SORRY!" Chloe yelled as she took a few steps back while holding her arms out in front of her face.  
"I SWEAR, I DIDN'T MEAN TO SCARE YOU!" Her words were almost tripping over each other as she spoke quickly, all while Max was getting nearer.  
"DON'T KILL ME!" Was the last words the poor girl could utter, before the raging Max lifted her hand and smacked the defenseless girl on the forehead.

"Ouch," Chloe let out.

"Get in the car," Max said, as she opened the front-seat door with a pair of piercing eyes.

"Alright, alright," Chloe responded with a voice of defeat.  
"I really am sorry," she said with a low voice, before getting in the car.

Chloe looked to her right, seeing Max beside her, staring out the window.  
"So… how was classes?" Chloe questioned with an awkward pause before putting the key in the ignition.

A few seconds passed by before Max turned her attention towards her blue-haired friend. She was wearing her usual clothes; the only exception was the not-always-so-common black, leather jacket. Otherwise, it was the normal combination of a white tank top, with a pair of slightly torn jeans and her signature dark-blue, wool cap. Chloe was looking out the rear window as she was backing out the car.

"Look at me" Max said without a hint of emotion, even though her heart was throbbing, but not from the fright she had gotten earlier.

"Hm?" Chloe let out as she turned her head towards Max, but before she was able to actually look at her, Max had already leaned over and planted a kiss on Chloe's lips. Needless to say, Chloe was taken by surprise, but she didn't retract. Her lips were simply on a hold, not given enough time to comprehend the situation.

A single second passed before Max pulled back and sat back down on the seat.  
"Don't honk at me when I am lost in my own thoughts" Max said quietly as she sent a quick smile towards Chloe before looking out the windshield.

"For future references, I did apologize immediately," Chloe said while waving a finger around.  
"…After laughing at you" she whispered as she turned the car around.

A short amount of time later, they were driving on the road in the direction of Chloe's house, and Max's curiosity could be held in no longer.

"So, how come you're late? Trouble with Mr. Step-douche?" Max questioned in the nicest tone she was able to.

"Late?" Chloe looked at the time on the dashboard of the car.  
"Come on. I arrived just in time" Chloe responded with a rather serious look on her face.

Max wasn't able to tell if she was joking or if she just had a really bad sense of time.  
"Right. Not late" Max said sarcastically as she looked out the window to her right. It was in the middle of the day and the sun was lighting up the features of every single tree they drove by. Though she never mentioned it, Max was glad that Chloe didn't live in the heart of Arcadia Bay. A place that reminded Max of the suburbs, was a much nicer place to live in her opinion, and a big plus was the calming silence.

Max watched Chloe who looked surprisingly focused on the road ahead of them. It was not an unfamiliar look.

_Come on Chloe. I can see you want to say something. Don't be shy._

Max smiled as she kept her attention on the blue-haired girl. While looking at her face, she recalled the events from the other day. It might not have been the best idea to stir up her emotions at the time, but since that day, Chloe always brought up Max's giddy feelings. Like watching a movie, Max recalled the events from the beginning, when she kissed her for the first time.

_It was awkward. It was actually really embarrassing. Probably the reason why we haven't talked about it. I don't doubt that she have thought about it as well; thought about how she prevented me from turning back time, so she could kiss me back. That part was actually quite romantic. She said she wanted to remember it. Man, I could tease Chloe with that for the rest of her life. I barely remember who initiated the second kiss, the one that led on to become quite intense. She even grabbed my ass… Chloe grabbed my ass._

"What'cha thinking about?" Chloe asked Max with a silly voice while looking in her direction.

Max quickly snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Chloe with a blank stare.  
"Would you believe me if I say that I was thinking about you, this time?" Max questioned, as she could recall the last time Chloe asked that question.

"I would" Chloe smiled.  
"Because you are blushing quite heavily" She said just before stopping the car.

_Dammit!_

Max quickly began rubbing her face in an attempt to rub the blushing off. In hindsight, it probably wasn't the best technique.

"We're here" Chloe chuckled as she pulled the handbrake.

"Oh" Max took a look out the window. They were parked in the driveway of Chloe's house.

_How long was I stuck in my thoughts? It's really becoming a bad habit._

The two girls opened the car doors and stepped outside. The first breeze felt like heaven on Max's skin. The air was always quite thick in Chloe's car, for quite obvious reasons. She was keeping an ashtray in there after all.

"Don't worry. You don't have to act all nice and shit. Nobody's home" Chloe said as she walked towards the front door.

"Oh, so I didn't have to leave my knives, cigarettes and tattoos at home" Max said with a raised eyebrow.

Chloe turned her head sideways to peek at Max.

"You know what I mean" Chloe smiled before grabbing her keys from her back pocket and unlocking the door.

"Max, come on in," Chloe did her best Bob Barker impression.

Max almost began running with her arms in the air, to play along with Chloe's impression of The Price is Right, but decided against it and instead smiled softly before stepping inside.

As Chloe closed the door behind them, she let out a single word "Hungry?"

Without even thinking about, Max automatically responded "Nah"

The house looked as expected. Small hallways, big living room and scattered trash on the tables and shelves. Small creaking sounds were made as Max took her first step onto the stairs leading to Chloe's room.

"You will be," Chloe said with a smirk as she walked past Max on the stairs.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Max questioned, feeling legitimately curios about Chloe's weird allusion.

"Nothing" Chloe hummed as she grabbed the door dated door handle.

"Well, if you got some Sole Meuniére in your room, I wouldn't say no" The brown-haired girl said quietly.

Chloe looked at Max with a blank stare as she opened the door.  
"I don't think I have any Italian food stored anywhere"

"French. It's French" Max corrected Chloe as she took the final step up the stairs.

Chloe said nothing, but her demonic eyes said it all.

"Sorry" Max whispered.

"Entre!" Chloe exclaimed with her best French accent as she entered her room.

"That was…" Max paused when she entered as well.  
"That was good," she said with an unimpressed tone.

"Oh bed, the bigger and softer you get, the more I love you," Chloe said as she let her body fall down onto her rather comfortable bed.  
"Same goes for you Max" Chloe snickered as she turned her body around in order to lay on her back.

Max smiled, avoiding to question her choice of words, for numerous reasons. After all, she had just hinted that she loved Max to some degree depending on her softness, but rather than start what could only end up in an awkward conversation, Max walked towards Chloe's stereo instead and pondered what kind of music Chloe wanted her to put on. For some reason, being in Chloe's decorated room without any music, seemed odd.

"Anything but rap, pop, techno, country and reggae" Chloe said to her, as if she could read Max's mind.  
"Maybe some reggae later actually" Chloe quickly added.

"Well then, let me just pick something random and hope it pleases you" Max said in a posh voice while grabbing a disc that had some patterned art on it.

"You are usually good at pleasing me Max, so don't worry" Chloe responded with a flirty tone.

Max decided to chuckle at the remark and continued to put the random disc of her choice into the CD player, which was connected to the quite remarkable stereo setup.

As soon as Max pressed play, a soothing sound of instrumentals filled the room.

"Sweet, Porcupine Tree. Good choice" Chloe said as she rested her head on a pillow.

"Guess faith led me to them" Max said jokingly while approaching Chloe on the bed.

_"Never stop the car on a drive in the dark. Never look for the truth in your mother's eyes.  
Never trust the sound of rain upon a river, rushing through your ears"_

**Chapter 3**

"Arriviiing somewhereee, but not hereee" Chloe sang out softly.

"You should give up your job of doing nothing and become a singer" Max was just able to let out before Chloe's bed had dragged her into it as well.

"Hey, I do activities" Chloe let out with a slightly offended tone, but still with a smile.

Max looked at Chloe who was now lying beside with her arms on the back of her head.  
"Such as?"

Chloe let her head fall to the side as well, leading her to look directly into Max's eyes, which hinted that she was awaiting a response. Though it didn't astonish her, Max was unprepared when Chloe moved her head closer to Max's with closed eyes. Max had little time to prepare before Chloe had placed her lips on Max's. It sent a tingling feeling throughout her body, which suddenly stopped as Chloe moved her head away.

"Why did you kiss me?" Chloe asked, resting her head back onto the pillow again, but this time a little closer to Max.

"I'm pretty sure that it was you that just kissed me," Max responded, trying to get her body to calm down.

"I mean in the car. I was not really prepared," Chloe enlightened Max with the details of the questions with a flat voice.

Max couldn't decide whether or not to respond with a witty answer. Considering Chloe's voice, it sounded like she wanted an honest answer.

"I just wanted to experience it again. I was kind of hoping that… we could do it more often," Max hesitated.

_I just want to know if we're like "that" or if it was a one-time experience_  
Max thought to herself, wishing she had the courage to ask such a direct question.

Chloe looked at Max with a subtle smile that quickly tuned into a wide grin.

"Remember when you said you would let me smoke joint, so you could take advantage of me?" Chloe said with a slightly raised eyebrow.

Max could clearly recall her half-serious joke, but Max had assumed that Chloe thought of it as a full-on joke and nothing more.

"Yeah, but… that's what you wanted to try?" Max questioned rather abruptly as she recalled the text message from earlier.

Like a magician with a questionable childhood, Chloe lifted up her left hand and revealed a rolled up piece of paper that was quite clearly a joint, which was ready to go.

Max was at a loss for words, but luckily, Chloe decided to explain herself.

"Not because I don't enjoyed your confused face, but what I actually meant was…" Chloe took a short pause.  
"I think you can blow my mind hella hard with your time travel powers. Like the ultimate trip," Chloe said with a suggestive voice.  
"The 'taking advantage' part comes later," she ended with a smirk.

"I haven't said wowser in a while, but you sure are making it hard not to think that exact thing" Max said with a baffled look.

"Hm?" Chloe let out.

"You are messed up," Max couldn't help but to laugh in-between words.

"I thought you liked a challenge," Chloe clearly couldn't help but to laugh softly as well.  
"All I need is a light," she said with a chuckle before putting her hand in her right front pocket and dragging out a slightly decorated lighter.

Max took a moment to process the friend before her. Blue hair, white tank top, boots on while in a bed, a lighter in her right hand and a joint in the left. It was quite a sight.

"If I wouldn't get in trouble for it, I would totally take a picture of you now and name it 'youth in a nutshell'" Max smiled as she turned her head, so she was looking up at the celling.

The sound of a flickering lighter shortly drowned out the sound of the ongoing music.

"Very poetic" Chloe mumbled as she had already placed the cannabis cigarette in her mouth.

Max closed her eyes for a second to let the music shower through her thoughts.

_"All of my designs, simplified, and all of my plans, compromised. All of my dreams, sacrificed"_

"Pretty chill, huh?" Chloe asked alluding to the music as she took a quick puff of the recently lit joint.

"Don't you think it's kind of sad?" Max answered with a question while subtly stretching her arms.

"Well," Chloe began as she raised her upper body so she was sitting on up on the bed.  
"I think it depends on what mood you're in. That's how music is. While having ones plans compromised might sound like a bad thing, it can lead to something more unexpected. Having plans doesn't mean that you have everything figured out. It means that you are have expectations and expectations can turn out to be better than you imagined" Chloe made hand gestures while waving the light joint around, creating random smoke patterns around her.

Max gently rubbed her face before getting up as well, so she was sitting beside Chloe with crossed legs.  
"If you're this philosophical now, I can only imagine how you will be when the weed kicks in," Max smiled while following a particular smoke trail.

"Exactly! You can imagine, but in truth, you can't predict" Chloe said a little too loud, before placing the joint between her lips and inhaled some more.

"In your case of course, you can just make a choice and reverse time and… you know, try again," Chloe said with a voice that made it clear she had smoke in her lungs.

"I guess," Max smiled as she slowly took off her unzipped, grey hoodie.

Chloe took a quick glance at Max, before opening her eyes wide.  
"Wow. How did you get so red on your arms?" Chloe questioned, looking surprised.

Max automatically looked down on her arms, to see her irritated, red skin.  
"Oh, right. When I was taking a shower this morning" Max briefly blushed, before clearing her throat and continuing.  
"Victoria threw some make-up, powder shit on me. I was all wet and-" Max had to pause, as she noticed Chloe had a hard time not laughing when Max said the word 'wet'  
"I was sooo wet," Max said with a sarcastic tone and a gentle smile.

"Go on," Chloe couldn't help but to laugh out the words.

"Well, water and powder usually creates some sticky mass, so I had to spend an extra 20 minutes in the shower, rubbing my body all over to get it off," Max said as she gently began rubbing her right arm.

"I seriously feel bad for you," Chloe let with a wide grin.  
"But…" Chloe paused.

"What? What was funny in that sentence?" Max questioned while looking at her friend.

"Rubbing" Chloe muffled as she had placed her hand in front of her mouth.

"Face plant" With a deep sigh, Max placed her right hand onto her face.

A few minutes passed by with light chuckling and some smoke inhaling, before Max heard Chloe let out a long word.

"Woooow"

Max lifted her head and took a look at Chloe. She was taking off her leather jacket, but it seemed like it was her first time doing so.

"Having problems?" Max asked with a crooked smile.

"I'm so high," Chloe let out while lifting her shoulders close to her head.

"I'm glad to hear it," was Max's response as she moved closer to Chloe, to help her take off the jacket.

"I think it's time," Chloe said with an overdramatic tone.  
"Blow my mind," She smiled while looking at Max.

Max shook her head while trying hard not to chuckle at Chloe's dilated pupils.  
"How?" A chuckle had to be forced out.

"Man, I don't know. I'm hella wasted. You can literally bend time and space; it can't be that hard," Chloe said to the concern of Max, as she noticed that Chloe was only halfway through her joint. It was filled to the brink, but it was still unsettling.

Max sighed before lifting up her right hand and began focusing.

"Yes" was the last thing Max heard before she felt time reversing.

The smoke filling the room, began retracting to Chloe's joint, while the sound of Porcupine Tree playing, sounded even more trippy in reverse.

A quick flash of light blurred Max's vision, making her unable to see Chloe in front of her. Even the smoke was untraceable.

Max had to focus, but she was just able to start time again where she had planned it. As her vision quickly returned to normal, she looked at Chloe who was sitting to the left of her, completely unaware.

_Ready to get blown away?_

"I think it's time," Chloe said with an overdramatic tone yet again.

"Blow my mind," Max and Chloe said simultaneously, which clearly surprised Chloe.

She looked at Max with wide eyes and an open mouth.  
"You are God," Chloe whispered, confirming that her mind was indeed blown.

Max had a pleased look in her eyes and a smile painted on her lips. Though it didn't take much while she was under the influence, it was fun to see Chloe all confused.

"Holy shit!" Chloe suddenly exclaimed while bouncing on the bed, still sitting down.  
"Max, Max, Max," She repeated with a wide smile.

"That's my name, don't wear it out," Max said quickly, barely even making the 'joking' voice.

To her surprise, Chloe fell down on the bed with a laugh that sounded like a broken record.  
"Max" She said yet again.  
"Get high with me," She let out before quickly getting back in her sitting position.

_I probably should have considered that Chloe would suggest that at some point._

"Mmmm" Max made a sound of consideration while letting her head fall back.  
"I don't know. I have classes tomorrow. I don't want to have a hangover"

"You Humpty Dumpty" Chloe said as if her choice of words were the most perfect ever.  
"You don't get hangovers from weed. It's freaking amazing" Chloe was putting all her efforts into convincing Max.

"I know that," Max responded.

_Huh. Can't believe I didn't knew that._

"Still… I only tried it one time and it did nothing for me"

"If it doesn't have any effect on you, you might as well give it a go. It would make me happyyy," Chloe said like a little girl, which didn't fail to make Max smile as well.

"Come on babe," Chloe said with a sudden sweet tone.

Max stopped moving for a second.

_Goddammit Chloe._

"Just a little bit then," Max let out with a sigh, before moving closer to Chloe.  
"Babe" she stressed the word as obvious as she could.

"Here you go," Chloe said with a smile as she handed Max the half-finished joint.

Max's brain kicked itself for letting herself get convinced by Chloe, but the rest of her body was actually quite excited. Something about the smell just sent off good vibes, and Chloe clearly seemed to enjoy herself.

Max felt like a newbie to smoking– which she pretty much was. Chloe could clearly see it as well, when Max had trouble finding the proper way to hold the rolled up piece of paper; she decided to keep quiet though. When Max finally found an acceptable way to hold it, she placed the joint between her lips and began inhaling. At first, the thick smoke was overwhelming and she had to force herself to keep from coughing, instead she kept it in and began inhaling a little more to get it down into her lungs.

"Hold it," Chloe smiled like this was the most exciting thing ever.

A few seconds passed before Max let herself exhale, leading to a thinner mist of smoke being pushed out from her mouth.

"Like a pro"  
Chloe had a lasting smile on her lips and a subtle blush. Not to mention the slightly, yet clearly, red eyes.

"I am actually secretly a stoner," Max said with a hoarse voice.

"I bet you know all the smoking tricks," Chloe chuckled while grabbing the joint from Max's hands.

"Of course," Max smiled.  
"I know about the inhaling"

Chloe began puffing on the joint while looking at Max talking.

"Don't get me started on the exhaling," Max continued, looking smog.

Chloe barely had time to let out the smoke from her lungs before she began laughing. Max knew that Chloe was easy to amuse while she was high, but what surprised Max, was the fact that she couldn't help but to laugh as well.

_Man, I'm not even high yet. Just light-headed… maybe that's all?_

Though Max felt slightly giddy, she doubted that was what all the fuzz was about.

"Know about this trick then?" Chloe let out before inhaling some more smoke.

"Hm?" Max looked at Chloe as she removed the joint from her lips but held in the smoke.

Barely a second after, Chloe shuffled her way closer to Max before kissing her friend, but it was no ordinary kiss; Chloe made subtle movements with her lips, making Max open her mouth, which clearly was the plan all along as Chloe was quick to exhale the smoke she had kept in her lungs into Max's mouth. By reflex, Max began inhaling before closing her mouth, but Chloe wasn't finished. Before giving Max time to exhale again, she placed her lips onto Max's again and held them there for several seconds. Just before Max exploded due to a mixture of excitement and weed smoke in her lungs, Chloe finally moved her head back to allow Max to exhale. She didn't have enough air in her lungs to make it one long exhale, so the results was a quick "Hah" with barely any smoke exiting her mouth.

Max's face was red for a number of reasons as she turned her head towards Chloe, with a baffled look.

"Very effective I see," Chloe smiled with a trail of smoke appearing from the lit joint in her right hand.

"It definitely did something," Max had to admit as her whole body felt light and her lips were forced in an upward arc.

The two girls looked at each other, both wearing an innocent smile proudly and with a look that only soulmates could pull off.

"I love you," Chloe said quietly, but confidently.

Max's expression barely changed, as if she had known this fact for a while, yet hearing the words coming from the blue-haired girl before her, sent a rush through Max's body that could only be described as a mixture of happiness and relief.

"I love you too," Max let out, barely having to think about it.

The whole thing played out, without doubt, without fear, as they both moved their head closer towards each other, before their lips met yet again. It was different, more soothing. Not exciting, but relaxing. A second passed after they lips had departed, before Max made a crooked smile.

"Now hand me the joint"

**Chapter 4**

_"A dislocated day, peers in to the either. Counts the stars inside the sky and flies to the never"_

Max let the lyrics bounce around in mind that was coming from the music that had been playing the last hour. The two girls were both lying on the bed, having just finished the joint; Max took a breath and looked to her right. She had a hard time focusing on the objects in the room, and the lack of an open window led the entire room to be rather hazy, but she managed to keep her attention on the nightstand next to her. A black ashtray had been placed on the small table, along with her phone and a small piece of trash from a candy bar.

"Holy shit," Max let out in realization.

Chloe had to snap out of her own mind, before she turned her head to look at Max.

"THAT'S WHY YOU ASKED IF I WAS HUNGRY!" Max opened her eyes wide, feeling as if the memory of the conversation suddenly appeared from a hidden place in her brain.

Chloe barely let Max finish the sentence before she broke out in laughter. Though Max was still mind blown, she couldn't help but to laugh as well.

"You fucking knew I would get high, which would make me hungry" Max spoke quicker than her brain could process.

Chloe didn't have enough breath to answer and instead kept laughing. Contagious as laughter is, Max couldn't stop laughing herself. Without even knowing the comedy of the situation, both the girls were laughing with all their might, which kept going on for a full minute.

A mixture of pleasure and pain rushed through Max as the laughing began to become slightly uncomfortable when her lungs were running out of air. She had to focus to take a quick break and inhale, all while her eyes were tearing up. Chloe decided to have some self-control as well, as her laugh become softer and she was able to speak out a few words.

"Are you hungry?" Chloe asked in-between breaths.

Only one answer seemed appropriate.

"Hella," Max smiled, finally being able to stop the involuntary laughing.

"Here," Chloe chuckled as she turned her body to reach for something under her bed. It was a glimpse of heaven when Chloe dragged up a bag filled with different kinds of candies.

Max's eyes widened. "YOU HAD CANDY THE WHOLE TIME?" Max exclaimed in amazement.

"Calm down, Max," Chloe giggled.  
"Go ahead and satisfy your munchies," she said as she placed the bag in the middle of the bed.

Max instantly got up from her lying position and dug her hand down into the white plastic bag.

"I have half a mind to travel back in time and call you out on that shenanigans," Max said as she pulled out a chocolate bar from the bag.

Just as she did, Chloe got up in a sitting position as well.  
"Can we just take a moment to talk about this time travel stuff?" Chloe asked while looking confused.

"Shrue," Max mumbled as she had already taken a big bite of the delicious chocolate.

"Think about this for a second," Chloe made hand gestures, showing that she clearly had something on her mind.

"We live in this world. This universe," Chloe stated.

"Oh God," Max was quick to reply.

"Now, hold on. We live in this universe," Chloe insisted on continuing.  
"Everything that is going to happen; happens. Like it was already meant to be, but when you travel back in time, you change the course of faith. Literally creating alternative universes"

Max took a second to swallow her treat.  
"Remember when I said I could only imagine how philosophical you could be when wasted?"  
She paused.  
"It's happening," Max smiled.

"Nonono, listen" Chloe clearly meant business.  
"If you at one point decided NOT to travel back in time, everything could be different. Maybe you have prevented someone from taking a step to the right and instead they took a step to the left, which lead them to miss the invitation to a party, which lead them to not get hella drunk or something, which lead them to not do something god-awful, which lead them to not live a life in embarrassment, which lead them to not jump off a roof or something" Impressively, Chloe got through that whole speech, only taking one breath in between.

While listening to Chloe, Max had forgotten to chew the piece of chocolate in her mouth, leading it to melt on her tongue. "Damn Chloe. Where is my notebook so I can write this shit down? It's pure gold," Max smiled, though she was kind of baffled by the thought.

"Am I right?" Chloe turned her attention to Max, looking as serious as a girl, high on weed, could.

Max finally decided to swallow the half-liquid chocolate that had been stored in her mouth.

"Well, it sounds like you are talking about faith, which is a concept I hardly believe in," Max admitted as she tilted her head slightly, which caused utter confusion in Max's mind for a split-second– unsure if was her head that titled or the whole word. Her common sense quickly told her what was what though.

"Alright, I know I never talked about faith, like… seriously, but think about this," and Chloe was off again.

"Oh my," Max let out as she went to get another piece of candy. Her smile revealed that she was enjoying Chloe's rants though.

"Let's imagine that when you travel back in time, your brain's memories also gets rewound. Making you forget what you did before you traveled back in time. Therefore, you would go through life, making decisions, some of them good, some of them bad. When you reach the age of one hundred, you decided to travel back in time, to the time where you were, I don't know, eighteen. You want to change the bad decisions you took, to good decisions, but because you forget the implications of those choices, you would make the same exact choices and end up at the exact same place you were when you're one hundred years old again. That's freaking faith"  
Chloe ended as if she was waiting for a standing ovation.

Max, who had been chewing on some gummy bears through it all, had to stop yet again for a second.

"I don't know if it's just because I'm… REALLY high, but that shit just made my mind explode," Max looked at the red gummy bear in her hand. It looked funny and squishy.

"I. Know." Chloe paused in between words.

"You are as smart as Plato," Max smiled.

"Who?" Chloe asked as she turned her head to look at Max who instantly made a 'are you serious' look.

"Okay, maybe not Plato then," Max said before eating the funny looking gummy bear in her hand.

She chewed a little on the candy, all while Chloe looked like she was lost in giant forest.

"GOT IT!" Max declared with an open mouth, showing the face of the poor gummy bear taking its last breath.  
"People studying atoms…" Max had to repeat the sentence in her head a couple of times, to make sure it made sense.  
"People studying atoms… are really just atoms, trying to understand themselves"  
Max looked at the nothingness in front of her with wide eyes.  
"Waaah" She whispered to herself, feeling as she just blew her own mind.

"Huh?" Chloe slowly turned her attention to Max, with her left eye half-closed.

"I said…" Max paused.  
"I can't remember what I said" she looked down onto her legs.  
"What are we talking about?" Max questioned.

Chloe did an amazing job at looking both confused and amused.  
"I didn't say anything," Chloe shrugged.

Max had already zoned out again, as she looked around the room. Everything was moving ever so slightly and the depth of the objects around her seemed way off. She closed her eyes and decided to let the music flow through her ears.

_"Stood beside an inlet, a starfish leads a dance. It dreams it is a human, and falls into a trance"_

"This music…" Max whispered.  
"Is so good," she said before falling back onto the bed with closed eyes.

"I…" Chloe began a sentence while holding a lock of her hair in her hand.  
"I have blue hair," she stated as if it was new information.

"You do," Max nodded in agreement.

"Wow," Chloe let out before lifting a blanket over her body and snuggling her way under it.

"Tired?" Max asked as she noticed this.

"Hella," Chloe answered with her eyes closed.

Max looked at Chloe, burying herself under the light-blue blanket.

"Let me in," Max almost begged as she grabbed the side of the blanket and worked her way under it. It was a comfortable feeling to have a small amount of weight be brought on top of her, to protect her from the weirdness of her surroundings. Max closed her eyes and yawned. It wasn't long before she drifted off to the sound of the calming music.

**Chapter 5**

_Did I fall asleep?_

Max managed to open her eyes, but all she could see was the back of Chloe's exposed head. It was dark outside, but it had been so for quite a while. Max couldn't figure out how long had passed since she closed her eyes, but she didn't feel high anymore, so some time must have passed. Granted, she still felt light-headed, but nothing out of the ordinary.

_Better get undressed. Don't want to fall asleep with my clothes on again._

Max worked her hands down to the top of her pants and began unzipping them before dragging them down the length of her legs. With a few shuffles and kicks, she managed to get them off and thrown onto the floor. Her purple shirt quickly suffered the same faith as she dragged it up over her head and threw it on the floor beside the bed.

Max looked at her friend once more. Only her blue hair and the top of her neck was visible, the rest was covered by the soft blanket they both were lying under. She was breathing lightly, clearly asleep.

_Time to be stealthy._

Max could feel her heart speeding up ever so slightly, as she positioned herself so she could shuffle closer to Chloe, who was lying on her side, facing away from Max. Making small movements, she was able to place her legs up against Chloe's, which revealed that Chloe wasn't wearing pants either. As Max placed her upper-body close against her friend, she could feel on her exposed stomach that she was still wearing her tank top though. A few adjustments later, Max was lying close to her friend, taking the position of the big spoon, even though she was a littler shorter than Chloe. Max had thought about placing her right hand over the girl, but had assumed that would wake her up. Instead, she had placed it down along her body, which was just as good, as Max could feel Chloe's inner thigh on the palm of her hand.

Frustratingly, lying so close to Chloe had made Max excited, resulting in her body no longer feeling tired. Quite the opposite, as Max could feel her body begging her to press her crotch closer to Chloe's behind. Though there was no one watching them, Max pretended to stretch as she moved her crotch closer until she could feel Chloe's underwear being pressed up against her own. A familiar feeling of excitement ran through Max's body as she began gently stocking Chloe's inner thigh with her right hand, which was moving slowly closer towards Chloe's behind. It was an awkward position, so the moment she could feel her thumb touching the bottom of Chloe's underwear, her hand was unable to move any closer. Max could feel herself getting more excited by the second, which quickly became an unbearable feeling. Determined to do something about it, she moved her crotch a little away from Chloe's behind in order for her left hand to have enough space to move around. Her heart began beating faster as she placed her left hand on her stomach, just above her panties. Still lying with her left cheek on the pillow and her right hand on Chloe's thigh, Max slowly moved her left hand lower down her body. A chill went down her spine and she wasn't surprised that her finger was slightly shaking. A little moaning sound was unavoidable. A couple of seconds passed as Max had begun silently entertaining herself, until she could feel her mind becoming hazy again. The soft skin on Chloe's thigh was enough to make Max blush, but hearing the soft breathing noises from her friend was equally exciting.

_I hope she wouldn't be mad_

Max pondered for a second to think about what she was actually about to do and she came to the conclusion that it was kind of odd, but her body desired for her friend more than ever.

_She would have done the same_

With that thought in mind, Max removed her right hand from Chloe's thigh and by adjusting her body, she was able to place it back, but this time she had placed it just above Chloe's underwear. The feeling was almost intolerable when she began moving her hand under Chloe's soft panties. Her heart began throbbing with passion when she felt Chloe's butt check on the palm of her hand.  
_  
God, I feel so perverted, but that's what is getting me so excited._

Max continued her movements for a good minute, but suddenly froze as Chloe began moving. Max felt the hair on her neck beginning to rise. She was ready to beg for forgiveness as Chloe turned around and faced Max, but surprisingly, she was met with a face she had only seen once before. Open mouth, flustered cheeks, lustful eyes and heavy breathing. A face of excitement. Having their heads faces only inches from each other, Max could feel Chloe's warm breath on her face. Nothing could be said and nothing needed to be said as Chloe lifted her body, placing her left hand and knee next to Max's body and quickly kissing her. Chloe had placed herself on top of Max, supporting her weight on her hands and knees. The kiss was passionate from the very beginning and Max's body had gone from fear, back to lustfulness in an instant.

It was unexpected and Max was uncertain if Chloe had been awake the whole time, but that was a question to be asked later. A wave of heat surrounded the two girls as Max's hand eagerly began moving around on Chloe's body. It was a new feeling. There was no time to think, no time to wonder. All that mattered was happening at this very moment. It was intense, fast moving; as if their bodies had hungered for this sensation throughout their entire lives. Chloe lifted her upper body and quickly took off her tank top, exposing her black bra. Before the piece of clothing even landed on the floor, Chloe had already moved her lips back where they belonged. Both the girls were breathing rapidly while making continuous movements with their lips and tongues. Max couldn't help but to curl her toes when she felt Chloe placing her right hand close to the middle of Max's legs. Max spread her legs and tightened her body while frantically continuing to kiss her friend. At the very moment she could feel Chloe's hand wandering around, Max was forced to make a weeping sound as she gently bit Chloe's lower lip.

"Keep going," Max let out with a heated voice.

Chloe only means of responding was a slight smile and a short exhaling sound.

Max could feel that she was beginning to sweat as Chloe had picked up the pace with her fingers. Every now and then, it was inevitable that Max made a few thrusting movements. She could feel her body begging her to calm down, but Max wanted to keep it going for as long as she could. Something Chloe could sense as well, as she removed her hand from Max's lower body while retracting from the long kiss, before lifting her upper body. Chloe looked at Max for a second, with eyes that made Max's heart skip a beat. Her blue hair was messy and her chest was going up and down due to Chloe's heavy breathing. There was nothing Max wanted more, than to share this intimate moment with this very girl. If there were three words, stronger than "I love you" Max would have said those words a million times to the girl in front of her. It nearly brought shivers through Max's body when she saw Chloe slowly moving down her body, kissing her stomach along the way. Just as Max closed her eyes, she could feel her nether region burning, just waiting in anticipation. The only sound was Max's quick breathing as Chloe had reached her destination. The feeling of pleasure lasted for several minutes...

After a single, continuous, moaning sound, Max's body quickly loosened up and her whole body fell flat onto the bed.

Max tried to say something to the friend before her, but her body demanded that she focused solely on her breathing. Luckily, Chloe seemed to be less exhausted than Max and popped her head up from between Max's legs, looking like she had just graduated from high school. A confident smile and a look of satisfaction.

"Want a witty remark or a serious statement?" Chloe asked while looking at the worn-out Max.

"Serious statement please," Max was able to speak out before continuing her efforts to calm her breathing.

Chloe moved a little to the right before letting her body fall down onto the bed beside Max.  
"Even though I am already wet; I need a shower," Chloe let out just as her head landed on a pillow.

"That was the serious statement?" Max questioned with a chuckle while turning her head to look at her topless friend.

"Oh sorry, that was actually the witty remark. It is true however," Chloe looked down on her body.  
"It was a quite sweaty and intense process," she admitted.

"Well then," Max yawned out.  
"You can go take a shower and I'll just… lay here for a while," Max said with sleepy noises, while turning her body to the side.

Chloe laughed gently at her friend before getting back up.  
"Sounds good. Just keep in mind that the time is 5:45. You gotta get ready for school in an hour or so," Chloe smiled while getting out of the bed and began walking towards the door.

_Fuck_

"Wait," Max said as she lifted her head and looked at the blue-haired girl walking away, only wearing her black panties.

Chloe turned around and looked at Max.

"What was the serious statement then?" Max questioned while trying hard not to stare at her friends exposed chest.

Chloe smiled before turning back around and grabbing the door handle.  
"I want to be with you forever," Chloe let out with a soothing voice before opening the door and walking out the room.

Max spent the next minute looking at the closed door with a blank stare. Eventually she snapped out of it and her lips were forced in an upward arc, creating a smile that she knew would last for a while. It wasn't until a vibrating phone and a quiet musical tone, made Max turn her attention elsewhere. She looked around for a little while, unsure where it came from, until she noticed the subtle light coming from Chloe's phone on the nightstand next to the bed. Thinking that it was probably just her morning alarm going off, Max stretched her body and took a hold of the black smartphone. It was rather similar to Max's phone, despite being a different brand. The unlocking process was pretty much the same as well, so Max had quickly unlocked the phone, which revealed that it was a text message that had caused the phone to go off like that. Barely thinking about it, Max read the newly arrived message.

**NEW MESSAGE**  
**[Matt* - 5:55]**  
**Good morning babe. Just thought I would wake you up before your alarm. I know how much you hate that noise :***

Max read the words through a couple of times. Each time with more concern. Having a hard time to even think it through, Max began scrolling to see the previous messages.

***Sent Monday at 4:12***  
**I don't know if I feel like it. I'm still mad at her you know? Maybe next week…**

**[Matt* - Monday at 4:13]**  
**Come on babe. Max is a bitch, you should just forget about her and come over to my place. We can finally have some fun ;)**

***Sent Monday at 4:14***  
**You're right. I can probably come by Wednesday. Just make sure to clean up before I get there. Don't want to roll around in your dirty underwear :***

Max's hand began to shake as she felt her eyes watering and a rush of angst was working its way through her body. She held the phone tightly before hurling it towards the wall to her right, making the screen shatter and the battery fall out.

"What the fuck?!" Max cried out as she lifted her upper body so she was sitting on the bed. A tear escaped her right eye and began slowly working its way down her cheek before dripping down onto the bed from her chin. Her whole body was shaking as another tear quickly followed the first one. Her heart was beating fast and an uncomfortable, lasting chill went through her spine. Looking down, she couldn't help but to begin sobbing, having a hard time to focus her mind. After shedding several more tears, Max got up from the bed and grabbed her clothes. While thoughts were shuffling through her head, she quickly put on her underwear and pants, followed by her pink t-shirt. She tightened her first, going through emotions of anger and devastation.

_I can't take this. I can't take this._

Max suddenly got an image of Chloe inside her head. Her smile. Her voice. She felt disgusted. Everything was shattering…

"Not going to lie" A voice sounded as the door opened.  
"I was a little bummed out that you didn't join me in the shower," Chloe said as she entered the room with wet hair and a new set of clothes.  
"Wow," she exclaimed as she saw pieces of her phone on the ground.  
"Max?" She let out quietly, looking at Max that was standing before her, looking down at the floor, barely moving.

It annoyed every fiber in her being, that somehow, hearing Chloe's voice brought a sense of happiness to Max. A feeling she quickly discarded as she looked up at Chloe, still with tears stuck under her eye.

"Fuck…" Max tried to keep her voice down. She couldn't think straight. Her emotions had taken over.  
"FUCK YOU!" Max suddenly yelled out while looking intensely at Chloe, tears shattering on the floor around her.

Chloe got startled from the sudden yell. She widened her eyes, looking utterly confused.  
"Max, what's wrong?" She questioned with a soothing voice.

"You are just playing around! You don't give a shit about other people, you fucking disgusting piece of shit!" Max tightened her fist yet again as she made a rapid motion with her arm. Max didn't know where the words came from, but it felt satisfying yelling them out.

"Max…" Chloe lifted her right hand up to her mouth, looking like she was about cry.  
"Please, tell me what is going on," she asked with a weeping voice.

"I saw the texts you have been sending! You are sleeping with some fucker, while calling me a bitch!" Max's voice cracked as her vision went blurry due the moisture in her eyes.

Chloe took a step closer with tears appearing from her eyes.  
"Stop yelling, please. I haven't been texting anyone beside you the last 2 days," Chloe tried to say with a calm voice.

"You just got a fucking message from him! All this time, you have just been lying for your own selfish reasons!" Max could feel her body burning.  
"Is this just because I have these powers?! You think it would be cool to have a friend that could turn back time?!" Her throat was hurting from yelling, but the words slipped out of her mouth with ease.

"I was friends with you before I knew you had those powers! Don't accuse me of shit I didn't do!" Chloe said with a sudden angry voice.

"Right, but you just happen to love me after I tell you all about it! You have always been selfish. It's always everyone else that is burdening you. You hate your stepfather because you have this twisted idea that he is out to 'get you'" Max took a breath, but quickly continued.  
"After your dad died, you have done nothing but blame everyone else for your problems!" Max knew that it was wrong to say it, but there was nothing, that could make her regret saying it. Chloe needed to feel just as shitty as Max did.

"What does that have to do with anything?! You have a family that loves you! I had nothing and you fucking left me when I needed you the most! And you're calling me selfish?!" Chloe tensed her body as she took another step forward, looking angrily at Max.

"At least…" Max paused, she thought about her words this time.  
"At least I didn't lie to you. I didn't say that you were the most important thing to me and the proceed to use you. You did that to me…" Max felt her anger being put on hold.  
"That is unforgiveable," she let out quietly.

"I- I don't…" Chloe suddenly snapped as her words turned into nothing but crying noises.  
"I don't want to see you like this," She managed to say in between breaths.

Max's heart was racing. "You don't have to see me at all," Max said more calmly than before as she began walking towards the door.

"Fuck you!" Chloe suddenly yelled out.  
"I don't know what the fuck you are talking about, but you are not leaving me! Not again!" Barely a second passed before Max walked past Chloe. She saw a look of regret in Chloe's eyes.

"MAX! Listen to me!" Chloe yelled out as she turned around to see Max opening the door.  
"Talk to me… tell me what you saw. Whatever it was, I swear to you that it isn't true…" Chloe could barely keep herself standing.  
"I don't want to be alone," she paused.  
"I don't want to be alone," she repeated with a lower voice.

Max felt her heart sink. Her head was hurting, but she couldn't get herself to do anything, but to walk out the door and closing it behind her… walking away with the fading sounds of a crying girl.

**Chapter 6**

A few hours passed, with nothing but walking through Arcadia Bay with a headache. Her body had been tense the whole way, while feelings of anger had taken over her emotions. Every person she walked past looked at her, as if she was a freak. She wanted to punch every single being that surrounded her. She was just able to control herself before she saw her academy. Max had figured it was around 8 o'clock, so she would most likely be late for her first class. Not that any of it mattered though. As she walked through the main entrance leading to the outside school-area, she was met with a few tired faces from people who probably failed to get enough sleep. Max avoided eye contact the best that she could and walked directly towards her dormitory. Max kept focusing her thoughts on her bed to keep from getting over-emotional, before she was able to be alone. A laugh coming from some kid entered Max' ear, before she found herself at the entrance to the girl's rooms. With quick movements, Max pushed the door open and began walking towards her room, all her surroundings were blurred, so she went by memory and instincts. She could feel the anger pushing from the inside.

Max saw a girl, standing around at the opposite door leading to Max's room. Short hair, expensive clothes and an atmosphere that reeked of bitch.

"Late again, Max?" It was Victoria.  
"Had a sleepover with that blue-haired friend of yours?" She said as she walked in front of Max's path.

Victoria stood only a few meters away, but Max didn't show any intensions of slowing down her walking speed.

"I think she's a bad influence on you," Victoria said with a crooked smile.

There was no response from Max as she quickly raised her right arm, pulled her hand back while clinching her first and furiously punched Victoria in her unprepared, crooked mouth. With a light scream, Victoria stumbled over her own legs and fell to the ground. Max's could feel the pain in her fist, but the adrenaline that was rushing through her body blurred it all out. Barely a second passed before Max opened her palm while breathing heavily, as she went on to reverse time. She closed her eyes, only for a second before she lowered her hand. Victoria was standing before her again, still having that crooked smile. Nothing had happened. Again, Max quickly lifted her arm and repeated her actions. She punched the unaware Victoria once more, in order to hear her scream again. To feel the sensation to finally being able to deal with one of her problems. Again, as soon as Victoria hit the ground, Max turned back time, only to feel her fist on a bitch's face once more. It felt good. Like her fist was pend up with anger and released every time she threw a punch. Only this time, as Victoria was lying on the ground she let some time pass, looking at the fallen girl before her. She was breathing quickly as she held her hand to her mouth. Covering up the blood appearing from her lower lip. "What the hell!" Victoria finally had enough time to yell out.

"You won't remember this, but listen to me;" Max looked down at Victoria with anger in her eyes.  
"Stop fucking messing with me. Stop trying to tear me down to make yourself feel better. Stop throwing shit on me while I am in the fucking shower!" Max yelled out the last sentence.

"Fuck. I don't know what you're talking about!" Victoria said as she began crawling away.

Max took a final glance at Victoria on the ground. She was scared. The untouchable angel with hidden horns was frightened. Everything in Max's body urged her to walk away, but she knew she couldn't. Grinding her teeth, Max turned back time one final time with closed eyes, to make it as if nothing had happened. Victoria stood before her, having just finished her sentence, unaware that Max had punched her three times. This time, Max chose to ignore her words and instead walked past her. Her heart was beating fast; she wanted to do it again. It took all her willpower to block out Victoria's final words.

"Go ahead and walk away"

Max entered her room and slammed the door behind her. A good amount of her energy had been released, resulting in an overwhelming sensation of tiredness.

_I wish Victoria could remember it. Remember how it feels to be hopeless. If it wasn't because I would expelled, I would have left her on the ground._

A mixed feeling of satisfaction and disgust was rushing through Max. However good it felt to punch Victoria, she knew that her bloody face would be stuck in her head for a long time. Making her recall her violent actions. Max felt worn out. Her sadness had disappeared with the tears and her anger had faded away with her actions. Only tiredness remained. There was no mental discussion about whether or not she should skip school today.

Max sighed before sitting down on the chair before her. In front of her was the open notebook she was writing in the other day. She read the final words on the page.

let me embrace tomorrow.

She looked at the sentence for a couple of seconds, recalling her emotions at the time she wrote that hopeless sentence. An amount of time passed until she felt her phone vibrating in her front pocket. Max barely had the energy to take out her phone and unlocking it, but as she did, she was met with an odd message.

**NEW MESSAGE**  
**[Ms. Grant – 8th October 9:07]**  
**Hello Max.**  
**I noticed you did not show up at science class today. Remember, if you are sick, you need to inform the school board. I have sent you a link with the assignments we worked with today on the school's website. If you are feeling better, I want you to answer question 1-5. Good recovery.**

**\- Michelle Grant.**

As unexpected as it was, Max couldn't help to give off a little smile.

_Ms. Grant is so sweet. It's a school policy that the teachers must have means of contacting us, but Ms. Grant is the only one who actually sends text messages to her students. _

Max looked at the time on her phone.

_Wait. Science class is not even on my schedule today… and it's only 8:12. School hasn't even started yet._

Max looked through the message yet again, until she noticed date and time the message was sent.

_8__th__ of October 9:07? That was yesterday. Why did I receive the message now?_

Max looked at her phone confused.

_I didn't even miss science class yesterday. I even talked to Ms. Grant that day. She must have sent the message by mistake._

Max decided that she would find Ms. Grant later today and ask her about it, but for now, all she wanted to do, was to write down a few final thoughts and take a rest. Max grabbed the black pen that had been waiting to be used again, lying next to the open notebook. She began writing on the same page, not wanting to leave empty space in her notebook.

I'm starting to think that this time travel shit, only makes things worse. I have weird dreams, I get headaches and now I am getting a habit of using it to punch people and pretend as if nothing has happened.

Max was able to fill out the page, before she flipped it over. The first thing she noticed on the blank page was that it wasn't actually blank. Hints of scribbled words could vaguely be seen all across the page, as if they had been erased.

_What the hell?_

Max couldn't recall a time where she had been erasing her notes, so seeing a whole page erased seemed odd. She stared at the words, trying to figure out what it said.

_Not a dr… drug?_

The first sentence was impossible to make out. Max quickly scanned the page to see if she could find a sentence that was easier to read.

_Rewind to see … words?_

A single word was erased too well to see it, but the rest was quite clear. As if wasn't meant to have been erased. Max could only imagine the sentence going 'Rewind to see the words'  
Which confused Max even more. All the words looked like Max's handwriting and the sentences spoke of things only she could know about, but nothing looked familiar.

_Rewind to see the words? Whatever you say notebook._

Max was curios enough to give it a try it as she lifted her right hand and began focusing, while looking down into her notebook. Though she felt time reversing, none of the words became visible. Max quickly felt the pain in her head from using her powers, but just before she lowered her arm, the page flipped backwards. It didn't surprise Max, as she recently turned the page, so it only made sense the page would turn back again. Something did catch Max's attention though, as she looked down on the notes she had just written. It no longer said the same things.

It has been going on for so long. I have to try it out tomorrow. Whether or not I want it… this will be the final time I use my powers.

A sharpening pain forced Max to stop the reversing as her hand was brought down and the notes returned to normal. Max quickly shook her head before re-reading her notes. The text had returned to normal.

_What the hell was that? Goddammit, I need to do it again._

Max prepared for the pain to come, but she was too confused to let it go. She took a few breaths as she closed her notebook and opened it back up on page 1.

Wohoo! I finally got accepted into Blackwell.

Max quickly stopped reading. She wasn't interested in what she knew the notebook said. She was interested in what it might say when she reversed time. Max had never assumed she could see anything out of the ordinary while reversing time. However, she often closed her eyes while it was happening, due to the pain of using her powers.

Bracing herself, Max lifted her arm yet again, took a breath and began reversing time while focusing on the notebook. All the words disappeared, but wasn't replaced with anything new. Max quickly turned the page. Still nothing. As she turned the page again, she finally noticed some words scribbled down.

2th October, my second day at Blackwell Academy. It's weird how you meet the bad apples first in a place like this. Some girl named Victoria threw some white powder on me while I was taking a shower this morning. I spent 20 minutes getting that shit off. She is quite clearly the bitch of the school. Along with Nathan. He showed up to my room after classes and began laughing at-

"Too much!" Max had to stop the reversing yet again, due to an overwhelming sensation of pain, but the information she got was clearly more than she expected. Max widened her eyes as she recalled the words written down.

_2th October was a fucking week ago! Victoria threw the powder on me yesterday and I didn't even write it down. What the hell is going on?!_

A feeling of angst creeped up on Max. She was recalling the second day of Blackwell. Most of it seemed to be a blur, but as she took the memories systematic, she could vaguely recall spending a long time in the showers that day.

Max nearly jumped up as her phone that was placed on the table began vibrating. She quickly wondered if she could have reversed time enough so that Ms. Grant's text message would be received again. That didn't seem to be the case though, when Max noticed the message was from an unknown number.

**NEW MESSAGE**  
**[503-659-4950 – 8:13]**  
**Max, it's me, Chloe. Please read this message.**  
**I am not going to say anything about our fight, but I placed my Sim-card into one of my step-dad's old phones (Since you broke my phone) I was able to go through my messages and the only guy I have talking to is Matt. He was my old boyfriend, but we broke up over a year ago. I don't know how and why you saw those messages and thought they were recent… if you want to say something, text. Don't call.**

A weird feeling passed by, when Max saw the message was from Chloe. It was somehow comforting to know that Chloe cared enough to try to explain herself, however strange the message was.

_But it said 'new message'. It doesn't make any sense that the texts were over a year old._

Max could feel a connection starting to appear. It was odd, but the text from Ms. Grant, Victoria throwing powder on her and Chloe's old boyfriend. It's all something that happened in the past, but was presented to Max as an occurrence happening in the present. As if memories were erased from the past and placed in the present, but somehow when she reversed time, she saw things that hasn't happened yet...

_If Victoria didn't throw the powder on me yesterday, then why are_ _my arms red? And it still doesn't make sense that Mrs. Grant would text me, saying that I didn't show up… and Chloe and Matt…_

Max couldn't wrap her head around it, but before she wanted to jump to conclusions, she had one more thing in mind she wanted to check. Max kept her attention on her phone as she opened up the inbox. Her body was almost shivering as she pressed on Chloe's name. The most recent texts appeared. Max could feel her heart beating faster. She swallowed before taking a deep breath and lifting up her right arm. Her focus was kept on the messages from Chloe. Max had to squint her eyes as she reversed time once more. Everything looked grey as she could heard the pages in her notebook turning. Max tensed her body as she looked at the most recent message on her phone.

**[Chloe :* – 10th october 11:25]**  
**Max, you did everything you could, but despite what I once said, your powers can't change faith. I know you would go through hell to change the past, but nothing will ever make me change my mind. I hope you understand, or at the very least, I hope you know that... that I wish I could hold you as held me on that day, but you need to keep going. You have something to fight for and so do I. I am not afraid this time. Thank you for not leaving me. I love you.**  
**  
_The end of Part 2._**


	3. Part 3

**Life is Strange**

Part 3 - Uncertainty in Happiness and Death.

**Chapter 1**

_When I wake up, I will be alive. It's a burden, but I need someone to care for. Someone to care for me. This will be the final time I use my powers._

Max repeated the words she had read over in her head. They were haunting her, making her heart throb every time she recalled the word "final"

Lack of sleep hardly made the situation any better. As Max recalled, she had spent the entire day and most of the night, rewinding time while looking down into her notebook, trying to figure out exactly what was going on. It had taken a massive toll on her body and her thought process. She started off curios, wanting to find answers to the questions she kept asking herself.

_Do I see the past when I rewind time? The future? If the text in my notebook is actually from the future, then it would make sense why I can't recall any of it, but that still doesn't explain why I experience happenings from the past._

Such questions seemed valid at the time, but after staying awake for 14 hours straight, doing nothing but trying to find answers, other questions seemed to pop into her head.

_Am I just going insane? Is this some sort of joke? Do I have amnesia?_

It was an odd feeling to have to question one's own sanity. It was a scary feeling.  
However, one question seemed more valid than any of the others did. One question that had been in the back of her head through it all.

_Will Chloe forgive me?_

She was walking down a quiet street in the early noon, with messy hair and clothes that might as well have been made of sewage water. Her shoulders were sore, on account of the backpack she had been walking with the entire time. Max knew she wasn't a pretty sight and she almost wanted everybody to know it at this point. One thing that had brought her on this particular street, was the fact that she knew everybody would look at her with disgust, but the chance that one girl might not. A girl that never did care about such things, never cared about the littler meaningless things… the things that are usually enough to reveal the cracks in a broken soul. No. Max wasn't worried about her looks, about her smell or even about her attitude, because the only one she would pretty-up for; didn't care.

Max had felt helpless during her mind screwing investigation and she had decided to tackle the only problem she could actually do something about. Talk with her blue-haired friend. Talk with Chloe.

Max grabbed her left hand and squeezed it slightly, closed her eyes and began imaging what time could become.

_Time could be for us. We could sit around and waste it. We could make the universe so uninterested in us, that it would stop. Just stop and leave us alone. Realize that we don't care about a dumb universe, when we at least have each other. Definitely not a dumb universe that apparently doesn't apply to the laws of physics._

Max looked to her left and saw a house she recognized. She didn't know who lived there, but she had seen the blue-painted house before, with the blossoming lily that was always sitting out on display in the window, soaking up the sunlight.  
She knew she was getting close to house of chaos in order. Besides the fact that she had to actually talk to Chloe again, a thought had been bugging her. Something she didn't think about until she was a good mile away from her dorm. _Chloe's parents might be home._ It was Wednesday, pretty much in the middle of the day, but Max had never really noticed a pattern about her parent's work schedule. Sometimes they were around, sometimes they weren't, and however sad it was to Max, she knew that Chloe didn't know either.

Max quickly let go off her hand, as she knew she would be squeezing it too hard, while thinking about Chloe's situation with her parents, due to the fact that Max pretty much accused Chloe of being a bitch because her real dad died.

Max stopped walking… clenched her first… hit herself on the thigh… and continued on.

Every step she took sent a heavy sound though her ears, a sound most people ignore, but Max had become painfully aware of her actions. Everything that had happened, could have been avoided. She felt immature and stupid. Having powers to correct every mistake, yet problems seemed to flow through every time she let her guard down. It made her think of Chloe's description of faith. Something that is bound to happen, but somehow, Max was able to change the outcome… it made her sick.

Max adjusted her right shoulder slightly, as she felt the strap of her back bag gnawing into her skin. As she did so, her vision caught a glimpse of a raven flying to a nearby tree and disappearing behind a cloud of leaves. She had arrived. Max was standing before Chloe's typical-looking house. No cars were parked in the driveway, so either her parents weren't home, or no one was home at all. Normally, Chloe would be blasting music through her windows when she was home alone, but the only sound was the wind passing by with the occasional singing bird. Max couldn't decide if she actually wanted Chloe to be home or not. She had come so far, but she had only just now let herself become nervous. She had refused to think about what would happen if Chloe was still mad, as that might have stopped her from trying, but now she was here. Standing before the wooden door, lifting her hand and knocking. As Max lowered her hand and prepared herself, she felt as if she was choking. As if, something was stuck in her throat. However, Max did her best to ignore it and focused on nothing but the door. She felt her heart jump as she saw the door handle go down and the door opening. Every feeling she had hidden away, rushed into her head, making her body shiver. She looked up. Saw the girl standing before her. She paid no attention to detail; she only saw the face she feared she would ever forget. Something snapped inside her head, as Max quickly lifted up her right hand and forced time to rewind for a couple seconds as she closed her eyes. Just after, she fell down on her knees, planted her hands on the concrete beneath her and let her emotions flow though her. Chloe was home, but was now unaware that Max was outside her house at this point. She had traveled back in time to the moment before she knocked on the door. It was too much.

_I can't… I don't know what to say to her._

Max held in her tears, but felt helpless with the overwhelming sensation of feelings that stormed around inside her body. Seeing Chloe's face brought up a piercing feeling of regret. She recalled Chloe's latest text message.

_She wanted me to text her if I had something to say. Not call. And now I am actually meeting her in person. I have to go. I will go home, text her and see how she responds. This is too real._

Somehow, that thought made Max calm down as she lifted herself up from the ground and took a breath.

"Don't turn around," A voice sounded, coming from above.

Max looked up, seeing a blue-haired girl poking her head out from the window a few feet above the door.  
"Why?" Max didn't give herself enough time to think.

"You look awful. Hang on," Chloe let out before disappearing, leaving Max feeling utterly confused.  
It was nice however. The confusion had overthrown any other feelings that may have made her run away. Max rubbed her eyes for a couple of seconds, before she heard the door opening before her. Again, she looked up to see the girl before her, this time with a calmer mind. Chloe had not planted her usual wool cap on top of her head, thereby exposing every little hair that was dyed blue. She was wearing a black t-shirt with the word "rock" written on it, along with a small yellow bird underneath. It was a risky move, but Max quickly looked a little lower to confirm her suspicion. As she saw that Chloe was only wearing some very short shorts–, which might as well have been boxers- on her nether region, it was clear that she was wearing her usual "sleep-time" clothes.

Chloe said nothing; instead, she was looking at Max with an impatient expression and crossed arms.

"You ehh… saw me?" Max questioned quietly, despite the fact she wanted her first words to be more meaningful.

"I kinda did," Chloe let out, answering the obvious.

"So…" Max tensed her body, resisting the urge to rewind time again. Her lack of energy probably wouldn't allow it anyhow.  
"Deep, meaningful speech about forgiveness, or me admitting I was an idiot?" Max reached out for a smile, but couldn't quite find it.

"It's not like that, Max," Chloe sighed.  
"I know that you must have misunderstood something and so I should be inclined to forgive you, but the problem isn't that you freaked out… and destroyed my rather expensive phone," Chloe whispered out the last sentence.  
"I downright told you that I hadn't been texting anyone, but you jumped to conclusions right away"

"I know," Max let out, barely giving Chloe enough time to finish the sentence.  
"But I know why I saw those messages on your phone… or I have an idea of why"

Chloe let her arms fall down her side as she looked at something behind Max.  
"There is not a doubt in my mind, that you honestly thought those were new messages, and I get that, I do, but you didn't even try to let me figure out what you were talking about at that point. Is that how little trust you have in me?" Chloe adverted her eyes from the unknown interest and looked down while gently swaying her arms.

"No," Max said confidently while trying to get Chloe's attention.  
"You are the first and only person I have told about my powers. You were the only one I trusted enough. It's because of that; I let me emotions take over when I thought that my trust was misplaced. I thought I had misjudged you, which made me so angry with myself. I just thought… if I couldn't trust you, then I wouldn't be able to trust anyone," Max kept her focus on Chloe, seeing her eyes looking back at Max, with a tot of hair hanging down from her forehead.

"Come in," Chloe said after a short pause as she stepped to the side.

"Are you sure?" Max questioned, even though she felt anxious about pushing her luck.

"Yeah," Chloe stretched the word.  
"I hate talking about feelings and shit," she let out just before Max walked through the doorway and inside the house.

"I don't get how you can hate it that much, but still be so good at it," Max said, not sure if Chloe had averted into the joking mood just yet.

"Dude, when it's necessary, I can shoot out feeling bullets with deadly precision. Pew pew," Chloe said with a relaxed tone of voice while closing the door.

She seemed to have come around.

Max was actually somewhat baffled at how easy it was. Maybe Chloe was just that laid-back. Maybe she said exactly the right things. Whatever the reason, Max felt at ease when she automatically had begun walking up the stairs to Chloe's room.

"Hungry?" Chloe asked a few steps behind Max.

Max instantly stopped walking and looked back at Chloe.  
"What?" she let out with a startled voice.

Chloe looked confused at Max.  
"Joking. Like… last time you were here," she said with a raised eyebrow.

"Holy shit Chloe. Don't joke with such things. I seriously just thought I actually relived an old memory," Max let out a breath and loosened up her body.

"That's called Deja-vu," Chloe said, over-impersonation a random French dude.

"No. That's called 'time is seriously fucking with me at the moment'" Max returned her focus on walking up the stairs, still with Chloe a few steps behind her.

"I have something to tell you. Something hardcore," Max let out before Chloe could question her.

"Oh, so you can make Deja-vu jokes, but I can't?" Chloe suddenly said with an offended tone.

As Max took the last step on the stairs, she looked back at Chloe who was still working her way up.  
"Be quiet and get your butt into your room so I can explain," Max smiled.

Chloe briefly looked up and made a silly "I'm sorry you majesty" face, before she reached the end of the stairs as well with a chuckle.

Just as Max was about to reach for the door handle, Chloe leaped out in front of Max.  
"Oh shit, hang on. Don't move," Chloe said as she opened the door leading to her room and quickly slamming it behind her, leaving the confused Max on the other side. Some shuffling around was heard coming from Chloe's room, but Max decided to stay quiet. She obviously had something in her room Max didn't want to see and she respected Chloe's privacy… to some extent.

"Chuchuchakachaaa" Max whispered to herself while drumming on her thighs.  
"Badum tss crk tss, badum tss crk tss" She continued while getting slightly impatient.

Finally, Chloe decided to open the door to let Max inside. The blue-haired girl had a stern look on her face, but looking around the room, everything seemed fairly normal.

"Don't ask why I had to go first," Chloe said as if she was expecting questioning.

"Don't worry," Max said as she stepped inside the room.  
"I know it's embarrassing to have porn magazines lying around," she teased as she took a second look around. Nothing seemed to have changed.

"Nobody uses magazines for that anymore. Keep up with the times Max," Chloe responded as she closed gently closed the door.

Regardless of how similar the room looked, it felt oddly different. The air was clearer, but there was less light than Max was used to. In addition, it seemed awkward to be in Chloe's room without some questionable music blasting from the speakers.

"I know you have questions, but I have some as well," Max admitted as she turned to face Chloe. She felt too uncomfortable to sit down on the bed, furthermore, she couldn't quite read Chloe's emotions yet, so she had to be aware of her actions.

"Awesome. You go ahead," Chloe said with little attention as she placed herself on the bed. She stared at her closet, looking as if she was pondering if it was worth it to put on pants. It seemed to be a struggle.

Max looked around as she recalled the last time she was in this room. It revealed itself to bring up some uncomfortable feelings.

"Actually, my questions can wait. I think you deserve an explanation," Max said with a downhearted voice as she placed her back bag on a nearby chair and began unzipping it.

Chloe didn't respond as she managed to find a pair of pants on the floor and had now decided to put them on. Meanwhile, Max took out her plain-looking journal and placed it on the desk before her, next to a single key with a simple ring as a key chain.

_Chloe's car keys. I never questioned her about that car… I guess it a family car, but it seems odd that she would have the keys._

"What'cha got?" Chloe asked as she had gotten up from the bed, now wearing some dark-blue jeans.

"This will probably sound weird," Max began as she went back to her back bag and pulled out her phone from another section of the bag, before turning around to face Chloe with the phone in her hand.  
"But considering that you already know about, you know, the time travel business, this might actually just be some boring news"

"Lay it on me," Chloe responded as she crossed her arms, looking vaguely interested.

"After I got back to the school yesterday, I received a text message from one of my teachers," Max said as she was unlocking her phone.

"The big chubby one or the young handsome one?" Chloe asked directly.

"That's not…" Max looked up at Chloe with squinted eyes.  
"The chubby one I guess, I– look, it's doesn't matter who it was, the point is," Max quickly continued as she searched through the inbox on her phone.  
"I got the message yesterday, but my phone said that I actually received it the day before yesterday," Max said as she found the message in question.

"So? That's the sign of a broken phone, not the sign of a broken universe or anything," Chloe said unimpressed, tapping her index finger on her left arm.

"Look at this," Max said, ignoring Chloe's statement as she handed her the phone.

With lazy movements, Chloe grabbed the phone and looked at the screen.  
"I noticed you did not show up at science class today. Remember, if you are sick, you need to inform the school board. I have sent you a link, blablabla," Chloe read the message, not finding it particularly interesting.

"What's the point here Max?" Chloe said as she stopped reading and looked at Max instead.

"So, the day before yesterday was the day you picked me up after school. I had been attending all my classes that day, I even talked to Mrs. Grant, yet this message speaks as if I weren't around that day," Max began speaking quicker, with a more intense tone of voice, trying to get Chloe at least a little bit interested in the situation. Her distant attitude was understandable however.

"So you're saying that you disappeared for half a day, but forgot about it?" Chloe asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No. I think the reason I got the message yesterday, is because events that took place in the past gets presented to me as if they were happening in the present," Max stated as she saw Chloe was wondering about something.

"Wait…" Chloe said after a short pause.  
"Remember when I picked you up yesterday and you told me I was late?"

Max quickly recalled the conversation in her head.  
"Yeah?" Max said, unsure where Chloe was going with this.

"I thought you were just shitting with me, because I looked at the time on the dashboard, and I was actually a little early. Could that have something to do with anything?" Chloe asked, finally having the face of questioning, that Max had been expecting.

"That doesn't sound impossible," Max admitted.  
"But all that is not even the weirdest," she quickly picked it up.

Chloe uncrossed her arms as she paid attention to Max.

"When I checked my journal yesterday," Max said as she turned around and opened up the journal lying on the table.

"I found a page with a bunch of erased sentences written on it… here," Max whispered to herself as she found the page she was talking about and showed it to Chloe.

"What does it say?" Chloe was quick to ask.

"Well, they were erased, as I said," Max stated, feeling as that was obvious.

"Right," she responded with a cringe.

"But I was able to make out a single sentence–"

"The 'not a dream' sentence?" Chloe interrupted, as she placed her head mere inches from the open journal.

"Holy shit, you have good eyes," Max let out, slightly surprised.  
"But no, I am talking about the sentence at the bottom. It says 'rewind to see the words'," she said as Chloe kept her focus on the journal.

Max didn't want to waste time, so she was quick to continue.  
"So, I obeyed my journal and began rewinding time. When I looked at my journal, some of the pages changed, they said something different. Remember yesterday, when I told you that Victoria threw some powder on me in the showers? Well, that actually happened on the second of October. That was over a week ago, yet I felt as if it happened recently. I still do," Max ended, looking at Chloe who still had her face buried down into a specific page in the journal.

"So, if it happened over a week ago, how come you were red on your arms? You told me it was because you were rubbing them, to get the powder off," Chloe let out without looking up.

"I am not sure. Maybe… my mind knew something was off and wanted to make sense of the situation, so, maybe have just been scratching myself on my arms, so reality would still seem to be stable," Max said the first thing that came to mind.

"Heavy," Chloe said quietly.

"I don't know. It could be for a lot of reasons, but… what do you think?" Max asked with a titled head, trying to get Chloe's full attention again.

_I better not tell her about the other message I saw on my phone yet… it would probably freak her out if she knew she might be involved in it somehow._

"Her life is more valuable, than the life of a thousand strangers," Chloe said to the confusion of Max.

"Who's life?" Max asked with an odd voice.

"I don't know. That's what it says in your journal or at least the part I was able to make out"

Yet again, Max looked surprised at Chloe. She had spent several hours trying to read the words, but the blue-haired girl was able to make some of it out in the matter of minutes.

Chloe turned the journal around so Max could see as well, before pointing at the place on the page the sentence was written.

"How did I not see that?" Max paused.  
"Oh God, I am going to look so nerdy with glasses," she moaned out while turning her body around.

"Come on. It's barely noticeable. I just happen to have some awesome hawk-eyes; don't blame yourself," Chloe smiled with a reassuring voice.

_It's nice to see Chloe acting all smog again._

"Sure, but I don't understand how something I clearly have written, would only–"

"Hold on, Max," Chloe interrupted, sending a look of concern her way.  
"Before we continue to solve this… mystery," She looked away.  
"You should just know, it's… alright. I understand why you freaked out on me. You had enough problems to deal with already and then seeing those messages… I just– I understand," Chloe made very little movement as she looked to her right with a puzzled look on her face.

Max opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't figure out what to say.  
"Thanks," she eventually let out.  
"I am still sorry though," she said before scratching her neck.

A small amount of silence passed by. It seemed like an opportunity to Max.

"Hug it out?" Max suggested, looking timidly at Chloe.

"I don't know, Max," Chloe said quietly as she looked at Max.  
"I'm not mad at you, and every wire in my brain wants to hug you and let the past stay in the past," Chloe took a quick pause, as Max could feel a warm sensation through her body. It was nice to hear Chloe speak so openly, but sadly, she wasn't finished.

"But I usually listen to what my body tells me…" Chloe looked at Max for a brief second, before looking back down at the floor.  
"And it tells me that I can't show my affection to you. It won't let me," she ended, tapping her toes on the floor, while nervously rubbing her right arm.

"Oh," Max let out with a heavy voice, feeling her body weakening. It was not the rejected feeling that made Max feel downhearted, nor was it the realization that Chloe did not want to hug Max; it was the thought of never reaching that level of fulfillment Chloe provided, ever again.

"Also, you stink. Like, literally reek of the apocalypse," Chloe added, holding a finger close to her nose.

Yet, the fact that Chloe was still around, brought peace to Max's shuffled mind.

"That's not very nice," Max responded with a genuine smile as she took a step closer to Chloe.

"Sorry," Chloe chuckled.  
"If you want– and you should- you can go take a shower here and I'll find some fancy clothes for you to wear," the blue-haired girl presented a nice offer.

Max came up with a funny response in her head, but decided against it.  
"That sounds crazy good. Just… don't find some clothes that screams 'dead and despair'," She responded instead.

"Aww dude. You can't limit a fashion… maker?" Chloe pondered about the word.  
"Fashion artist?" She continued in her search for the proper word.

"Fashion designer?" Max tried to help her poor friend.

"Mmm. It just doesn't sound right. What is the word for a person who has a lot of knowledge in the fashion business, but does not necessarily make actual clothes?" Chloe closed one eye while concentrating hard.

"A douche?" Max added while lifting up her shoulders.

"Don't get smart with me Max," Chloe said with a quiet voice and squinted eyes, while continuing to look very thoughtful.

"So I am going to take a shower and you can think about that for a while," Max said as she turned around.  
"Maybe look it up on the internet," she added as she opened the door.

"How can I look it up if I don't know the word?!" Chloe let out in frustration, just as Max had stepped out and closed the door behind her.

**Chapter 2**

Max felt great finally getting out of her smelly clothes and into the shower, which was now pouring hot water over her body as she found herself, lost in her own thoughts.

_I hope Chloe will actually forgive me at some point. She said she isn't mad at me anymore, but a part of her still… rejects me. However, it feels like all these strange things that have been happening, have actually helped a lot to bring us closer. Which is actually a frightening thought. Ever since I met Chloe in Arcadia Bay, there have always been some weird problems that we tried to resolve. If there were no problems, no worries, would we actually even enjoy each others company? I'd like to believe so, but how can I be sure?_

Max went on to automatically do the usual shower routine of putting shampoo in her hair and rinsing it.

_I often imagine the future. I never considered that it might not be that great. Of course, she said she loved me–_

Max paused her thoughts for a while, as she felt she had hit a critical point.

_She said she loved me._

Slowly, Max turned off the waters and began squeezing her hair to get out the remaining water.

_There doesn't have to be more to it, than that… I love her as well._

Max felt oddly dispirited as she stepped out of the shower and grabbed the nearest towel. Water was hitting the floor tiles as she began rubbing her face with the blue towel she had a gotten a hold of. After some quick drying off, Max reached out for her underwear as she tried to keep her mind focused.

_I would actually prefer if I could put on some new underwear_ _as well, but that means that I would have to walk into Chloe's room, naked. Doubt that would help much._

Max looked at her clothes that was lying on the floor. She considered picking it up, but decided they might as well stay there until she would head back to her dorm. Instead, she grabbed a hold of her pink bra that was on top of the pile of clothes and quickly strapped it on.

_Maybe going naked would actually help._

Max smiled at the idea of exposing herself to Chloe. She always enjoyed seeing the weird faces Chloe was able to pull off. Despite the hilariousness it could bring, Max felt that having at least underwear on, would probably be safest bet. After quickly putting her white panties on, Max left the bathroom and rushed to Chloe's room, as a cold breeze could be felt all over her body in the hallway.

"Coming in," Max let out before opening the door to Chloe's room. The sight Max was met with was not what she expected. Chloe was standing at the exact same spot as she was before, and a quick scan of the room revealed no clothes had been prepared.

"Fashion enthusiast?" The blue-haired girl was whispering to herself.

"Goddammit, Chloe," Max said as she closed the door behind her, feeling the urge to plant her hand onto her face.

"Fashion fucking crap tits," Chloe whispered out in frustration, completely ignoring Max.

"I think you finally got it," Max said sarcastically as she took a few steps closer to Chloe.

"I swear that there is a proper word… Oh shit," Chloe suddenly let out a little louder.  
"I totally forgot to find something for you to wear," she turned around, finally acknowledging the girl that was standing around in her underwear.

"If I give you the right word to use, will you start to focus on the world around you?" Max asked as she let her head fall back and rolled her eyes.

"Yes! I w–"Chloe began a sentence, but quickly stopped as she looked closer at Max's body. It was an awkward couple of seconds, until Chloe finally got her wits together and continued her sentence.  
"Yes! I will pay full attention! Just tell me what the freaking word is!" Chloe turned her attention to Max's eyes.

Something Max used to her advantage, as she sent her a look of futility.  
"Fashion consultant," Max said to the sweet relief of Chloe.

"A fashion consultant! I knew I'd get it!" Chloe nearly cheered for herself as she began walking towards her closet. "And you helped tooooo," Chloe said more quietly with a smile, before opening up the closet, trying to find some clothes for her friend.

"Congrats, we are all very proud," Max said with a smile as well.  
"Now, as my fashion consultant, I beg of you; find me something to–"Max stopped her sentence, when a sharp pain entered her head.

_Fuck!_

Max instinctively placed her right hand onto her head, while bending her knees.

_Shit, shit, shit_.

Closing her eyes, Max tried to say something, but the pain was too overwhelming. Suddenly, a sharp light flashed twice and she was forced to open her eyes again.

The first clear object that became visible was a box lying on the floor. Max tried to look around, but wherever she was, it was dark and her vision was blurry.

_This feels familiar._

Max managed to keep herself calm, closed her eyes for a few seconds and began taking deep breaths, before opening them up again. Her vision had adjusted to the dark and everything was slightly clearer. A quick look around, revealed that she was still in Chloe's room. The structure of the room was the same, but the objects, furniture and posters had been moved around. The bed was in the same place, but the chair she had been sitting on some minutes ago, had been moved to one of the corners.

_Another fucking vision dreamy thing._

Though Max was frustrated and slightly anxious, she felt curios as well. Somehow, being in these dreams reminded her of the things she saw when she rewound time. Maybe it could provide some answers. The first thing she did, was to check to entirety of the room to see if Chloe was anywhere to be found, but as expected; she was completely alone. Max took a few more breaths before taking a step closer to the old box she had noticed on the floor. As she bend down, she slowly opened it up. Everything felt worn-down and dusty. As she opened the box, she saw a few things, including a stack of papers with some words written down, a photograph– face down- and a pink shirt. Max felt intrigued as she decided to grab the photograph and flip it over.

_God, everything is so dusty._

Max gently blew on the photograph to get some off the dust off before she analyzed the image. The first thing her eyes were drawn to was a familiar face. The face of a particular blue-haired girl. Max wasn't too surprised until she saw herself on the photograph, having her arm around Chloe with a smile.

_When was this taken?_

Max looked at the image a little closer; it seemed like summer time, with the sun in the background and the green grass. On the right side of the image, a small part of a lighthouse could be seen. It did reveal that it was taken on their meet-up spot, but Max was still rather confused, as she couldn't recall the time the picture had been taken. Max flipped the photograph over, to see if a date was written down, but the other side was completely blank. Max could feel her heart speeding up, as she automatically began connecting some dots in her mind. She gently placed the photo down on the floor next to her, before scanning the box again. She took a quick look at the pink shirt, but it didn't take further investigation to reveal that it was indeed the shirt Max usually wore. It was rather confound, but it didn't provide any answers.

_Wait._

Max stopped her progress and quickly looked down onto herself. She noticed she was wearing a red shirt, with an outlined drawing of a cute little monster on it, and jeans that were slightly torn around the right knee area.

_What the hell?_

Max looked around the room a second time, checking to see if she had overlooked a mirror somewhere, but quickly gave up as nothing like that seemed to be within range. Instead, Max kept her focus and paid her attention towards the open box yet again. She have had a bad experience with reading lately, but she decided to grab the stack of papers with the hand-written text on it. There was approximately around 10-15 pages, with words all over every single page. Max knew she couldn't waste her time trying to read it all, but decided to quickly scan the first page.

God, this is so lame. Whatever. Let's see…

Good morning lovely… no, sounds dumb.  
Get up you dork!... no, too mean.  
Awoken from your slumber?... yeah, I'll guess that'll work.

She responds "yeah" or something similar and I'll… wait, I should probably ask her when she's done with classes. Yeah. I'll do that. She responds, I suggest we hang out and… why am I writing this?

She told me I should start writing shit down, but it's so damn boring.

Max stopped reading, as she was too confused to continue without any context. It didn't take a genius to figure out that it was Chloe who had written this, but it seemed like random ramble.  
Max began shuffling through the papers, to see if Chloe had gotten better at providing context at the later pages.

Well, shit. Up and down instantly. Fucking awesome. "Oh, I love you" "Now I hate you"  
What the hell? God, I think she is starting to lose it. Maybe I should text her to see if she's okay.  
Or at least to tell her what a fucking moron she is…  
Goddammit, even writing that shit down feels awful. I'm sure she just misunderstood something.  
I wish she would just trust me. I trust her for some reason. Hell, I didn't even know I loved her until she randomly kissed me. Man, I gotta text her.

Max was forced to let out a smile, as she realized this was Chloe's version of a personal journal. It wasn't written with much detail, but it was understandable that she needed some way of expressing her emotions. Max wanted more than anything to read every single word, but she was unsure if this apparent dream would last for much longer. To save some time, Max decided to focus on the very last page of the bunch. The words seemed to be hastily written and unlike the other pages, these words had been written with a pencil, instead of a pen.

I can't fucking believe it. I miss him. I miss everyone. I can't blame Max for what happened, but I can't shake the feeling that she could have done something. She told me that she knew that her powers was the thing that caused the tornado to destroy Arcadia Bay. She told me some theory why that was… something about her powers changing the flow of the sea or something, making the weather all crazy. She said that she couldn't avoid it. That after the very first time she used her powers to save me, that it had already been messed up. She blames herself, I know, but I don't think she regrets it. I mean, she could have died. I don't know. She is a different person. I think the only reason I am still with her, is because I hope that something will happen. That she will fix everything.

As soon as she got to the last word, something clashed inside Max's body. Her heart began rising and her mind couldn't focus. With shaky movements, she let go of the papers and stood up.

_Is this the future?_

The final page landed softly onto the floor.

"IS THIS THE FUCKING FUTURE?!" Max screamed in frustration and confusion. In a heat of rage, she kicked the box, flipping it over, making the photograph fall out. It all slowly came together, but there was a piece missing to link it all together. Max could feel the adrenaline rushing through her body as she rushed over to the nearby window. It showed the backyard of the house, but there was something else noticeable. Max could faintly see her reflection in the window, but it kept disappearing. Her reflection was flickering rapidly, as if she appeared, only to instantly disappear again.

"Stop it…" Max whispered, as she turned around and quickly began walking out of the room. It was with a racing heart she walked down the stairs, to see the living room covered in dust and cracks along the walls. She paid no mind to either, as she forcefully opened to front door, to get to the outside. The air was thin, with a haunting silence. Most of the houses had smashed windows, with a few cars placed randomly on the street. Nobody was in sight. She was alone.

"Stop it!" Max repeated louder.  
Looking to her right, Max felt a tear escaping her left eye from the momentum. Thoughts kept crashing into her mind, only to quickly be discarded.

_Is everybody fucking dead? Did the tornado kill every single person? Is Chloe dead? AM I DEAD?!_

Max yelled inside her mind as she began running down the street, letting her tears fall to the ground freely. She felt isolated. Insane. Only when she noticed a single crow lying dead on the street, did she stop her movements. Small drips of dry blood was surrounding the still crow, with an open wound in its side, reveling that parasites had been eating most of its insides. Max looked around. She was in the same spot she was earlier when she walking to Chloe's house. It could might as well have been the same crow. A thought hit Max out of nowhere as she looked at the dead crow, lying on the lone street as a symbol of trepidation.

_This is not the future._

A bulging feeling appeared in Max's head as she looked to her right, seeing a blue-painted house. It looked like any other house, but this was the house she had recognized earlier. This was the house with the beautiful, single lily displayed in the window. It was still there. Greyer. Bending lifelessly downwards, with fallen petals surrounding the pot.

_This is the present._

Max looked up into the sky, making her tears fall down her face. She could feel her body itching and her mind calming down. She could hear Chloe's voice calling out to her, while a few clouds were peacefully passing by. The voice became clearer as Max closed her eyes.

**Chapter 3**

"Max!"

She held her eyes closed for a couple of seconds, until she could feel her body again.  
As she opened her eyes, she saw the concerned face on her friend. She was lying down, being held in Chloe's arms. She was shaking her.

"Don't worry," Max whispered before clearing her throat.  
"It's okay," she said a little louder when she felt her vision returning to normal.

"I will stop worrying when you stop passing out randomly," Chloe let out with an uneasy voice.

Max looked around to see the familiar room, with the objects being in their proper place, before looking back up at Chloe. Her eyes were slightly flickering, but she had seemed to calm down, as Chloe had stopped shaking her.

Max realized that she was still in her underwear as she could feel Chloe's right arm around her back and her left hand on the side of her stomach.

"I need some clothes," Max said without a change in her voice.

Chloe kept looking at Max's face with a worried look.  
"Are you okay?" She asked before taking a deep breath.

"I am," she responded before lifting up her upper-body, so she could sit up.

"What happened?" Chloe was quick to ask another question.

Max stayed silent for a second, thinking about an answer. She knew she could tell Chloe what she saw, but she was unsure if the words would even come out.

"I had another… dream," An involuntarily tremble in Max's voice appeared.  
"I'll tell you about in a second, can you just please find me some clothes?" Max looked down on her bare legs. She felt cold.

"Alright," Chloe responded a couple of seconds later before standing up.

Max still felt as if her body was shaking, but her mind was no longer uncertain of what to do. As Chloe was searching around in her closet, Max stood up as well and walked over to the nearby table with her journal.

"Do you want to wear a red shirt or a blue one? The blue shirt is new, the red on is old, but hella rad," Chloe asked with her half her body inside the closet.

Max opened up her journal to the last page, before grabbing a sharpened pen that was lying on the windowsill. "Blue," Max said confidently, as she began writing down a few words.

"Red would fit you more, but I am no fashion consultant," Chloe jokingly said, but still with a hint of concern in her voice.

Max didn't respond as she kept her focus on the moving pen in her hand.  
Every word that formed; created a slight anxious sensation. She could feel her heart beating in an absurd fashion, while she did her best to keep her hand steady.

"Pants are pants, socks are socks," Chloe whispered from behind Max, as she was grabbing the remaining pieces of clothing.

It was a feeling of immobilization that eventually crept up on Max as she was struggling to write down the last sentence.

"Here are your awesome garments," Chloe suddenly let out, standing only a foot behind her.

Max let the pen fall out of her hand, as she turned around to see Chloe with a pile of clean clothes in her hands and a subtle smile on her lips. They both stood still for a couple of seconds, but for different reasons. Chloe waited for Max to grab the clothes, while Max allowed for her emotions to take over.

Without a sound, Max took a step closer to Chloe before opening up her arms and lashing them around her friend. Surprised by the sudden hug, Chloe tried to pull her body away, but Max kept her locked in her arms.

"Ehh…" Chloe let out, as she was forced into an awkward position to keep her from dropping the clothes in her hands.

"I'm sorry," Max said, before taking a quick breath.  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," She repeated quickly with a shaking in her voice.

Chloe was all the more confused, but couldn't get herself to do anything, but to stay silent.

A couple of seconds passed by, before Max finally let her arms go of her friend, while grabbing the clothes in Chloe's hands in the process.

"What is going on, Max?" Chloe asked quietly, as she watched Max put the blue shirt over her head.

"Too much," Max quickly answered, while doing her best to hide her face.

"Tell me," Chloe tried to make eye contact, as Max already had one leg into the pair of pants.

Max looked up at her friend, to see her blue eyes staring at her. Yet, the moment Max had put on the pants and buttoned them close, she noticed her stare fell down ever so slightly. Chloe's eyes were now looking intensely at her lips. Max could see the intention of her friend; she could almost feel the ghostly kiss that was hanging in the air. It was clear that their relationship had been damaged, but was far from broken. Max knew what her next move would be and it felt as a vine strangling her heart when she opened her mouth.

"I have to go," Max said while letting her head fall down.

The response was unexpected and Chloe had to take a step back as the words hit her.  
"Why?" Chloe whispered quietly, barely with enough voice to make her able to hear it.

Max looked back up. "I saw something in my dream, that I need–"

"I don't care what reason you have to leave," Chloe quickly interrupted.  
"Why can't I go with you?" she asked, struggling to avoid her tears revealing themselves.

Max looked back up at her friend, feeling the same sensation of uncomfortable emotions.  
"I don't want to be reason you're sad," Max said without a change of expression, but the moisture underneath her eyes revealed the woeful expression she was hiding.  
"I want to be the reason you're happy," she let out, blinking once, allowing a tear to escape down her face.

"Promise me you will be back," Chloe said, still unaware of the situation, but she could see on her friends face that it was something momentous.

Max hesitated as she looked to her left, towards the door.  
"I promise," she let out before turning around, looking down at the page on her journal. She had yet to write down the last couple of words, but she felt as if it had to do before she took a hold of the page and ripped it out of the journal, crumbling it together and placing it in her right front-pocket. Max looked at the car keys next to the journal. She felt bad for doing it, but she needed to be sure… with quick, but quiet movements, Max took a hold of the car keys and placed them in her left pocket. Chloe stood still, not saying a single word. Max closed her eyes for a second before walking towards the door.

Her body felt heavy and her heart felt as if it was made from stone, as she grabbed the door handle.  
Her neck was twitching, wanting her to turn her head around to look at her friend, but something stopped her. She knew that seeing Chloe standing alone, would only make the decision more painful.  
Having stepped out of the room, she decided not to close the door behind her before walking down the stairs. A soul-stirring silence was following her, while her surroundings seemed to be blurred out from the water in her eyes. As she finally made it to the front door, she felt as if something inside her was about to break. A feeling that become much more powerful as she stepped outside.

_No turning back. _

Max could feel that she needed to keep her mind focused.

_I can't waste the opportunity I have given myself. The opportunity Chloe wanted me to take, even if she doesn't know it. _

She looked at the houses she was passing by with a heavy heart. She remembered seeing them in her vision, worn out and broken. Through one of the windows, she noticed a young couple eating in their kitchen. It was just the two of them, but they seemed to be relaxed.

_It pains me that she doesn't know, but… it wouldn't matter anyway. All of our recent talks… all the jokes we made, to make each other laugh… all the hugs and kisses… won't matter._

She began walking with a quicker pace, as she noticed the sun passing by a hill in front of her.

_That's fucking depressing._

Max let out a sorrowful smile.

**Chapter 4**

_All right. Main goal; get somewhere private._

There wasn't a doubt in her mind about in which direction she should go. She felt drawn to the spot that held so many memories. Holding out a hand in front of her face to block the sun from hurting her eyes, she took notice of the tall lighthouse on top of a hill, behind a cluster of trees. A little further away, a thick mist of dark clouds could be seen, approaching the city. Max looked down at her body, analyzing the blue shirt she was wearing. It was plain, with only the word "La Dispute" written across the chest, with a small symbol of what appeared to be a four-leafed flower underneath, to make it at little more interesting to look at.

_I think that's one of Chloe's favorite bands… some ear wrenching rock._

Max kept looking at the symbol on her shirt and couldn't help but to feel temporarily relaxed.

_I've gotten used to it though. The lyrics aren't half-bad._

She kept walking in a steady pace, as she tried to recall one of the songs Chloe had played for her the day before yesterday. She remembered actually paying close attention to one particular song. It took some brainpower, but she was eventually able to recall a verse.

_How selfish of myself to always say that it was more than I could take, like it was pain I could not shake, like it could break me with its fingers, throw my body in the lake, and I would slowly sink away, but the truth is; it was sorrow that I made and would not face. See, I keep falling for the future, after tripping on the past, and I am always tearing sutures out to make the anguish last, like it defines me, or reminds me, I've found comfort in my suffering and uncertainty in happiness and death, because what's next is such a mystery to me._

As Max sang the lyrics in her head, she saw a picture inside of her head, with her lying on the bed with her friend beside her, tapping her fingers to the beat. Neither of them would say anything, because they both knew that they had created a peaceful atmosphere around them. That it wasn't necessary to say anything, to not feel bored. Just letting time pass by, without a worry. Without the constant promise of a better future, that Max had often dealt with. There was no better future at that time. Now, there can only be a better present.

The first step she took onto the dirt road leading to the lighthouse, felt comforting. It was familiar, and even though so many bad memories had been associated with that road, it felt nice to be back. Somehow, she could remember the feeling of wanting to give up almost everything to stand on this road again. She couldn't recall the time she had that thought, but she could remember that she had felt it before.

_Memories of the future._

Max was now walking underneath the shadow of the dark clouds surrounding the sky. She could feel the silence that had been following her would soon disappear. That every step she took on the road going upwards, was a step closer to the deafening sounds of the storm.  
As she noticed the part of the lighthouse, which was visible from behind a small cluster of trees, she felt the first raindrop to land on her head. Gradually, the sounds of rain hitting the leaves around her became more rapid. The sun had been covered up by the dark clouds in the sky, casting shadows as far as the eye could see. Occasionally, a bird taking off was heard coming from the nearby tress, as well as a few small critters running into their hiding spots. The atmosphere had quickly become uneasy, making Max feel more anxious than before. The temperature had dropped rapidly, making her wish she had asked for a jacket, or even a blouse. As expected, when she finally reached the end of the road and was standing on the hill with the lighthouse to her right, she felt anything but relieved. It had been creeping up on her trough it all and had finally reached its peak. Her hands were shaking, her heart was racing and she couldn't control her breath. Standing out on the hill, seeing only dark clouds in the horizon, she felt the full extent of a panic attack. Everything seemed unreal, as if she wasn't a part of the world around her. Max closed her eyes, but it scared her that she couldn't close her mind. Thoughts kept being tossed around in her head and she could hardly keep up. The anxiety convinced her that she was dying on this very spot. Every fiber of her being begged her to end this feeling. To end the insanity. Shaking more than before, Max lifted up her right hand while the rain was pouring down on her. Her hair was hanging down around her face and her clothes were soaked, but no drop that fell upon her exposed arm could be felt, as if her arm had gone numb. When Max opened up her palm with her arm stretched out from her body, she managed to shut out every thought and forced herself to focus for a single second.

_Rewind._

Max closed her eyes as she heard the sounds of a thousand raindrops smashing to pieces when hitting the ground.

"MAX!"

In an instant, without thinking about it, Max opened her eyes but kept still. Her body discarded her efforts of turning around. She kept staring out at the dark horizon, feeling her body tensing.

"Don't…" A single word passed through her, followed by the sounds of footsteps getting closer.

Max felt torn, between the urge of turning around and the pressure of ignoring the girl behind her.

"Chloe…" As soon as Max whispered out the name, the water under her eye was replaced with the tears running down her face. She slowly moved her right leg before turning around the see the blue-haired girl standing a few feet behind her, wearing nothing but the black shirt and the blue jeans.

"Max… you're shaking," Chloe let out with a concerned voice, before seeing the tears that streamed down Max's face.  
"Please… tell me what is going on," Chloe spoke out, now with a shaking in her voice.

Max kept looking at the girl before her, with her wet hair and blue eyes. It was hard to tell from all the rain, but Max could see that Chloe was close to crying.

"I want you to be happy," Max could barely speak, as her throat felt dry.  
"I want to do the right thing," she continued, struggling to stay on her feet.

The wind was picking up and the rain kept pouring down.  
"This is not the present Chloe. This is the past," Max let out, not caring about the tears that were dripping down from her face.  
"At least for me it is," Max finally managed to advert her eyes and looked a little to her right instead.

"I don't want you to be in pain," Chloe said, taking another step closer to Max.

"Arcadia Bay is going to be destroyed by a tornado because of me, because of my powers," Max spoke out the words, but could barely handle the reality of the situation.  
"I made sense of it all, Chloe. This has happened before, but at that time, I didn't do anything to save everyone. I fled with you to another city, leaving everyone in Arcadia Bay behind. I forced you to leave your step-dad behind. Your mom…" Max could feel the cold getting to her.  
"When I rewind time, memories blend together… the passing of time is connected with the act of creating memories. That's why I experience things that doesn't happen in the current reality. As time passes, the memories that blended together– the memories I had forgotten- presented themselves again," Max had to clench her first to keep going. She couldn't stand to look at Chloe while continuing.  
"All this careless playing with my powers I have done, not only fucked with my mind, but it fucked with the process of nature. I only rewind the time around me, not my actual presence. It basically creates two different time periods in the same universe. I'm not sure why… but it creates an instability in the atmosphere. That's why the weather have been all crazy since I got my powers… that's why there is a fucking tornado about to tear apart this city and kill everyone living here," Max spoke out the last sentence louder, as she turned her head to look back at Chloe, who looked equally confused and distressed.

"You couldn't have known…" Chloe said with a quiet voice, as she took another step closer to Max, lifting her right hand slightly.

"It doesn't matter. Whenever I rewind time or has one of those visions, I see the present. I see what I have caused… maybe I even caused more damage somewhere else… and why didn't I try to prevent the storm? Why didn't I even try to save thousands of lives?" Max had an angry look on her face.  
"Because I knew, it could kill me," she ended as she tensed her entire body.

Chloe had her arms hanging down her body and her bare feet standing on the wet grass.  
"You came her to rewind time, so you can save Arcadia Bay?" Chloe questioned, looking at Max with a confused look. "Didn't you say that it was your powers that caused the tornado?"

"Yes," Max responded, feeling the rain hitting her head with more velocity than before.  
"But if I rewind time enough, to the point before I used my powers for the first time, maybe it will prevent all this from happening," Max tried to make Chloe understand, but she could tell her words didn't get through to her.  
"I first used my powers at school," Max tried to make it simple.  
"If I rewind time, to a point before that happened, I would still be standing on this hill. It's only the time around me that rewinds, not me. I will not be at the school to experience the same thing again"

Max could see Chloe was beginning to understand, but it was clear to see she was still unsure of something.  
"But the first time you used your powers was to save me in the bathroom. If you won't be there to save me…"

"You won't die," Max interrupted.  
"I made it so you won't be at the school at that time. I took your car keys, so no matter what; you won't be in the bathroom at that exact time. There is also a reason, that may prevent Nathan from even being in the bathroom at that time, but… it's not relevant," Max hesitated as she looked down at her feet.

Chloe could no longer help but shaking, as the cold was almost painful. "You said that it's because you rewind time that you forget memories; if you rewind time to a point before you even realized you had those powers, isn't there a chance you will forget everything? That you will forget about what you did?"

"Yes," Max said with sorrow in her her voice. She knew that Chloe was about to realize something. Something that she didn't want her to know. One of the reasons, she first decided not to tell Chloe anything.

"You might forget about us," Chloe quietly let out, with a heartbreaking voice.

Max barely had the courage to look at her friend.

"I won't remember, because it wouldn't have happened, but if you forgot as well…" Chloe's shaking voice, nearly tore Max apart. She couldn't get herself to answer, but her silence spoke louder than the words Chloe didn't want to hear.

"I don't want a life without you," Chloe quietly spoke out with a weep in between, while her eyes were watering.  
"Without you to comfort me… without you to hold me when I feel lonely. Without you to kiss me, making everything seem less frightening," Every word Chloe spoke resulted in more weeping noises.  
"I don't want a life like that," she ended as she lifted her hands up to her face and began crying loudly.

"Chloe," Max whispered out as she began walking towards her friend, tears blending in with the rain on her face.

"I–" Chloe tried to say something, but the sobbing prevented her from completing a single sentence.

Ignoring the cold, Max walked up close to her friend, feeling a piercing sensation of sorrow before she opened her up her arms and hugged her friend tightly. "Remember…" Max whispered, holding Chloe close, never wanting to let go. She could feel that she was freezing, that she was shaking. "Remember…" Max whispered out again, but had to take a breath before continuing. It was struggle to overcome her crying noises, to speak out words.  
"Remember when you said you believed me, after I told you about my powers? You looked so sincere. I could see how much I meant to you… that was the moment I realized that I loved you," Between the sobbing, Max couldn't help but to let out a smile.  
"I wanted to run," She chuckled, while letting the tears work her way down her face.

Chloe placed her head on Max's shoulder as she reached her arms around her friend, grabbing the back of Max's blue shirt. "You can't leave me again," Chloe spoke out, with a calmer voice.  
"I know that you are just a person. Someone I just happened to meet, but I was going through life, not knowing what was missing. I convinced myself that I didn't care, so I was able to get out of bed in the morning. So I could keep going… but now that I know what life could be like, I don't ever want to go back," Chloe lifted her head and moved slightly away, so she could look into the eyes of her friend.  
"Tell me that I don't have to go back to that life. Promise me that you will not go through with this. That you will walk away from this hill with me, holding my hand... promise"

Max stared back at Chloe's wet eyes, seeing her dilated pupils and her black eyelashes, only hearing the faint noise of the storm surrounding them. Only once before, had she observed the girl before her this closely, and just as the last time she did, she could feel her heart getting lighter. "I promise" Max whispered as she slowly closed her eyes and leaned her head closer while pulling Chloe near her. The cold lips that touched hers, somehow warmed up her entire body. She realized that it had been too long since she kissed the blue-haired girl. Been too long since she had felt the contentment that Chloe provided. A tear ran down Max's face, meeting with one of Chloe's tears on their connected lips. Slowly pulling away, Max opened her eyes and looked at the passionate face on Chloe. It was pleasant.

"I'm sorry," Max whispered out before lifting up her right arm and opened the palm of her hand.

Immediately Chloe eyes widened, as she saw the regret on Max's face.  
"No," was the last word that came from Chloe, before time began reversing.

Max kept her eyes open as she saw Chloe's tears being lifted from the ground and her mouth moving. All the rain was moving upwards, as the wind began blowing in the opposite direction. Eventually, the girl before her began walking backwards. Max could see the concern in her eyes, but she kept tightening her hand, feeling her heart break as Chloe was now running in reverse, down the dirt road. For a single fleeting second, the only thing Max saw was her friend's presence disappearing behind the trees. As soon as Chloe was out of sight, a sharp pain entered Max's body. However tough the decision of reversing time was, she knew the hard part was far from over. The longest Max ever tried to reverse time was a couple of minutes, and it was almost unbearable, but now… she had to reverse time for three days. Max doubted it was even possible, when she could feel the intensity of the pain rushing through her body, but she knew she had to try. After a couple of minutes, Max was forced to lower her hand, but before a single drop of rain was able to land, she quickly stretched out her hand and began reversing time again. She was determined.  
It was a game of endurance, as she looked up at the sky, watching the clouds slowly moving away from her.

_I wonder why… how, I have been given a second chance._

Max tried to occupy her thoughts with relevant wondering, in the hope she wouldn't forget about this moment. These actions she is taking. Hoping she wouldn't forget about her time with Chloe.

_The papers I found in Chloe's room, said that she stayed with me, because she was hoping I would fix it. If I loved Chloe in that dimension, as much as I do now, maybe I gave myself a second chance, by rewinding time, before the tornado appeared… but when did the past begin?_

Max let her head fall down as she bit her lower lip to cope with the pain.

_I wish I could remember what happened when I ran away with Chloe. Her notes said that she missed someone… maybe her step-dad. God, this shit is so confusing. Even though I can see the whole picture, there are still details which are unclear… like the message I got from Chloe. It said I couldn't change faith, but– Shit!_

Once again, Max was forced to stop the process due to an overwhelming pain and even though she could feel her head thrusting; noticing the rain had stopped, replenished her courage and determination. There was hope. Max shook her head quickly, before rewinding again. Even though the dark clouds were a good distance away now, the colors around her seemed darker. She decided to close her eyes, in the hope of her vision not taking damage.

_I should really have studied why it brings so much pain to reverse time. It mostly my head that hurts, but my body hurts as well. Like it's cramping up or something._

Max took a short breath.

_Okay, I need to come up with some sort of system. Time accelerates when I rewind, so if I count to thirty, time should have moved back at least ten minutes. That would mean…_

Some time passed as Max was doing the math in her head.

_24 times 60 equals 1440. Which would mean there is 1440 minutes in day. 30 times 10 is 300, and 300 divided by 60 is… 5. Meaning that I would have to reverse time for 5 minutes, for an hour to pass… I think. Wait... that would be if there were 100 minutes in an hour. If one minute in rewind equals 20 minutes passing, then it would be 3 minutes for an hour to pass. 3 times 24 is 72. So all in all, I would have to rewind time for 1 hour and 12 minutes, until a day passes. Or unpasses… whatever. I have to go approximately 3 days back, so 1.12 times 3 is 3.36. I have to spend three hours and 36 minutes, reversing time, until I should be at the correct date._

Again, Max lowered her hand to take a break. Her legs were shaking, but her confidence remained.

_However, I have to take into consideration that after thirty seconds, I will take a five-second break. Any longer than five seconds, just means I would have to reverse time even more…_

Max took a breath before lifting her hand yet again.

_I can't be bothered to do the math._

**Chapter 5**_  
_

_..._

28… 29… 30!

Max quickly retracted her hand and cringed, before she looked at the moon going down in the horizon. Max felt as if she had already spent the three hours reversing time, but it was only the first night that she faced with. Her body didn't hurt as much anymore, which was not a good sign. Her whole body had felt partially numb for a good amount of time and she kept having shortage of breath. It was taking a huge toll on her body. Her eyes were uncomfortably dry and even though she felt like crying, no tears were shed. She was dehydrated.

_Un, deux, trois._

Slowly, Max lifted her right hand and continued the self-torture.

_..._

24… 25… 26, fuck!

The pain had quietly returned and forced Max to lower her hand early.  
"GODDAMMIT!" She yelled as she fell down on her knees. The sun was directly above her, making it clear to see the drips of blood on the ground before her. Max was unsure of when it started, but she noticed a while back that blood was running down her nose. She was too tired to pay much attention to it at first, but seeing the collected blood before her, revealed that it was an unhealthy amount of blood she had lost. Still on her knees, Max took a deep breath before lifting up her hand again.

_..._

_Come on. Come on._

While reversing time, Max kept her attention on the hill leading to this spot, while tightening her body, letting the blood flow freely from her nose.

"COME ON!" In a rush of pain, Max lowered her hand once more, before smashing it down into the ground.  
"Where is she?!" Max yelled with a hoarse voice. It was afternoon of the second day and Max had been awaiting the arrival of past Chloe.

_This was the time that Chloe and I met at this spot. Where we fucking kissed for the first time… why isn't she here?! Did I manage to change the damn past or what?! How would that even work?  
_

Max looked down at the puddle of blood that surrounded her. Her knees and part of her leg-area were red from the dry blood, all while the grass around her barely had a hint of green anymore.

_Maybe it makes sense… at least I can still remember it happened._

Max slowly lifted her pale hand once more, as she felt her head thrusting.

_That was more than five seconds…_

_...  
_

"What am I doing?" Max whispered to herself, as she was lying on the ground, having just stopped reversing time.  
"Did I throw up?" She continued to question herself, as she could feel a sticky liquid surrounding her mouth. As she slightly moved her face, she felt the dry blood under her nose cracking.  
"I can't see…" Max had her eyes open, but failed to make out any shape or form.  
Without even giving it thought, she automatically lifted her hand and began reversing time, only fueled by instinct. As she did, her entire vision went black and she was unable to breathe. Even her body was stuck in the current position. A couple of seconds later, she passed out.

_..._

_My pleasure. Feels nice out here after all that drama…_

_..._

_At least I didn't lie to you…_

_..._

_You won't die._

_..._

_I love you too._

"I–"She whispered as she opened her eyes.  
It was bright. Everything was white. The first thing she could see was a random pattern in the ceiling. Slowly her eyes adjusted and she noticed a small lamp hanging from the ceiling.  
"Where am I?" Max asked, hoping someone would answer.  
A couple of seconds passed by before Max forced herself to lift her upper body. Her vision became clear as she looked around. It was an open room, with white paining on the walls and a table with a glass of water next to her. Looking down onto her body, she noticed she was wearing white robes and had a white bracelet on her wrist. As Max realized she was lying on a hospital bed, she tried to focus on her body to see if she was in pain. To her relief, everything felt fine. Her head felt heavy, but nothing else felt out of the ordinary.

_What happened? Was I in an accident?_

Max looked down on her hands, feeling confused. No visible bruises could be seen.

_I remember the lighthouse… maybe I fell off the cliff? That would probably have killed me though, or at least left some bruises._

Max began feeling uneasy, as she tried to figure out why she would be in a hospital. Even more so, as she couldn't recall her latest memories.

_I was in school… I think I fell asleep. I went… outside, feeling anxious._

She could vaguely recall a few events, but she knew there was major chunks missing and it frustrated her.  
A window to her right brought light into the room, revealing that it was around daytime. Before she could ponder more about it, a creaking door caught her attention. As she turned her head to the point of interest, she saw a girl walking in with a basket of flowers under her arm. As soon as she looked at her face, a few memories rushed back to her. Seeing the blue hair under the dark-blue wool cap, made Max's heart skip a beat. She couldn't recall when she had last seen her, but she clearly recognized her face.

"Chloe?" Max exclaimed out a little louder than she meant for.

The girl immediately looked up, seeing Max sitting in the white hospital bed.

"Holy shit, Max," She let out in surprise as she took a few steps closer.  
"They said you were still unconscious"

An uncomfortable amount of thoughts rushed through Max, as she stared at the blue-haired girl in silence.

"Are you alright?" Chloe questioned before placing the basket of flowers on the table, next to the glass of water.

"I'm… fine," Max responded quietly.  
"What happened?" She was quick to ask.

"You tell me," Chloe looked concerned at Max.  
"I found you at the lighthouse yesterday, surrounded by blood. Scared the hell out of me… I had to stay with you here through the night, being questioned by some nurses and shit," Chloe sighed as she took a standing position next to the bed.

"Sorry… I don't remember much," Max admitted as she looked at the basket Chloe had brought on the table. It was a collection of some brightly colored flowers.

_She stayed with me through the entire night… holy shit._

"I haven't seen you in years and this is how I found out you're back in Arcadia Bay," Chloe let out a smile.  
"So much for a proper reunion"

"Wait…" Max showed a blank stare.  
"We haven't met since I moved away?"

Chloe raised an eyebrow, still keeping her pleasant smile.  
"What, didn't my blue hair throw you off? Unless you have been stalking me, the last time you saw me I had long brown hair"

Again, Max looked at Chloe's blue hair that was sticking out from her wool cap.  
"I don't know… I just feel as if I have talked to you recently"

"Maybe you dreamt about me," Chloe chuckled, placing her left hand on the side of the bed.  
"Come; let's inform the hospital people that you are all fine and dandy. Besides the short-term memory loss apparently" Chloe said as she lifted her hands upwards, signaling for Max to get out of the bed.

"Are you sure that's it okay for me to get out of bed?" Max questioned, baffled by Chloe's request.

"Totally. The nurse told me that your body is hella fine," Chloe smiled, while winking.  
"Or, well… she said you had no fractures, bruises or internal damage, blablabla, but I knew what she meant"

"It always astonish me how you can be so carefree," Max said with a shrug as she let her legs dangle off the side of the bed.

"You know me. No worries, no problem," Chloe said as she turned around.

Max looked at Chloe's back, feeling slightly downhearted for some reason.  
"I guess," She responded, before lifting her body off the bed. Her legs felt wobbly, but she managed to stand up straight.

Looking to her right, Max noticed a mirror hanging on the wall. She had an urge to walk over to it, to see if she looked like the big mess she imagined, but for some reason, even thinking about a mirror brought up an anxious feeling. As if she would see something, she didn't want to see. Instead, she walked over next to Chloe, breathing in the clean air.

"Unfortunately, they placed you on the second floor, so we have to walk down some stairs. Think you can handle it?" Chloe asked as she turned her head to look at Max.  
"They have your clothes, so think of that as your reward,"

"I hope so," Max responded, unsure if she actually could handle it.

Chloe sent off a reassuring smile.  
"Come," she said, grabbing Max's hand as she began walking forward.

A familiar feeling passed through Max as she held hands with Chloe. It was somehow pleasant.

"By the way, I found a letter in the pocket of the pants you were wearing. I didn't have time to read it and I kind of feared it was a suicide note. Should be an interesting read now that you're awake," Chloe let out while leading her friend out of the white room.

"A letter?" Max felt something clicking inside her mind as she closely followed the girl.  
"Chloe…" She whispered, watching the blue-haired girl before her. Feeling her presence...

"Sup?" Chloe responded with a cheerful voice.

"Thank you for staying with me"

**The end.**


	4. Epilogue

**Life is Strange**

Epilogue - A letter

**Chapter 1**

"I don't want to. Not again" Her voice was quiet, but sincere.

"If you don't, the world will fall apart" The threatening response got her attention, but it was hard to convince her to do these horrendous actions a second time.

"How would you know?" she asked, finding it hard not to focus on the serious look on her face.

"The Gods… they informed me of the dire situation… do it" A trail of smoke was rising around her, almost framing her figure in a perfectly nefarious way.

She sighed regrettably. "Fine…"

Taking a step backwards as the cold substance in her right hand made her tense up, Max took a breath and closed her eyes. Preparing herself to once more, do what was demanded of her.

_Here goes nothing…_

"My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, and they're like, it's better than yours, damn right, it's better than yours, I could teach you–" Max sang out embarrassed while making subtle dancing movements as her friend Chloe nearly had tears streaming down her face from holding in the laughter.

"I can't, Chloe! I appreciate that you bought me a milkshake to cheer me up, but this is just mean!" Max let out, trying not to blush, but having an even harder time to hide her obvious smile.

Chloe could hold it in no longer and began laughing out words.  
"I'm sorry Max, but I expect to get something in return. Milkshakes are expensive, you know" Chloe's laughter slowly faded, but her smile remained.

"Besides… I missed you. I want to make the most of it" Her lasting smile went hand-in-hand with the look of delight that her blue eyes managed to pull off.

"I missed you too…" Max couldn't help but to return Chloe's look.  
"But you're still a dick," she quickly let out.

Chloe didn't respond, giving Max time to quickly study her surroundings. She felt weird being back in Chloe's room for numerous reasons. First of all, it looked different, but it also brought back memories of when they were younger, eating pancakes in Chloe's bed, talking about how they would both ditch school and become partners at their own company. She couldn't quite recall what their business plan was, or if they even had any, but looking around, memories of a different time appeared. A mixture of emotions was brought to the surface, but it was hard for Max to describe it. The more she focused on the memory, the more blurry it appeared to become. She quickly decided to brush of the slightly uncomfortable thoughts and instead paid her attention to the basket of flowers on Chloe's desk. It brought an inner smile to Max, knowing that Chloe had bought them for her. It was an explosion of colors that was placed in the basket. Lily's, daisy's, even sunflowers were stuffed in there. It raised the same question as before however…

_What happened to me? _

Without realizing it, Max had a tense look on her face, which she kept for a good amount of time, leading Chloe to interrupt Max's thoughts.

"You wanna talk about it?" It surprised her how Chloe's voice had changed from joy, to concern so quickly.

"There's not much I can say, Chloe" Max answered honestly, looking at the friend before her. It created a sense of comfort to see that Chloe was wearing a white tank top and a hoodie. She was unsure why, but it eased her emotions ever so slightly.

"You really don't remember what happened?" Chloe had questions, but they were few answers.

"No" Max was quick to respond with a downhearted voice, as she adverted her eyes from her friend and looked down into the ground, placing her left hand on her right arm.

There was a couple of seconds of silence, bringing the atmosphere down to an unbearable level.

"Sit down on the bed," Chloe suddenly let out, making Max look back up.

"You don't like my posture?" Max questioned with a subtle smirk.

"Just do it" Unfortunately, Chloe kept her emotionless facial expression as she said this.

Max decided to not question as to why she should sit down and instead did as Chloe asked. She turned around, placed her half-empty milkshake on the nearby desk and began walking towards the bed. A bed that was slightly messy, but at least it wasn't downright dirty, so Max felt fine as she sat down on the edge of the bed, looking back up at Chloe for confirmation.

"Not like that. Sit in the middle, on the far side of the wall," Chloe specifically requested.

Max kept getting more confused, wondering what Chloe had planned, but there was no hint to find in her expression, so Max decided to simply shuffle to the middle of the bed, almost leaning up against the wall behind the bed. As she crossed her legs, she looked up at Chloe again, checking to see if she was sitting correctly. Chloe didn't answer her silent question and instead walked towards the bed herself, before gently placing herself in front of Max, sitting in a similar way with crossed legs. As they were now sitting close on the bed, facing each other, it almost felt as if Chloe studied Max's eyes with great intensity. Before Max could question anything, Chloe blinked once before making a second request.

"Hold out your hands like this" Chloe kept showing no actual emotions in her voice nor expression, as she held out her hands with her palms facing upwards. Max took a second, but began slowly imitating Chloe's actions, holding out her hands. A surprising chill passed through her, as Chloe began squeezing the tip of Max's index finger. Chloe kept staring into Max's eyes, with an indecipherable look.

"Do you feel it?" She asked calmly.

"I feel you squeezing my finger, yes," Max responded with an odd look.

Chloe gave a slight nod before using her index finger and thumb to squeeze Max's middle finger.

"Yea?" Chloe continued.

"Ehh… Yeah. I feel it," she responded, rather confused.

"Good" Chloe shortly said before continuing to Max's ring finger.

"Chloe?" Max let out.

"What are we doing?"

"Testing your nerves or some shit" Chloe finally decided to let out a gentle smile.

"Why?" Max nodded to let Chloe know she could feel it.

"The nurse told me someone had to check if your body hadn't taken any damage"

"Oh, you're checking if my spine still send out nerve responses," Max let out in realization.

"Probably," Chloe responded, revealing that she wasn't actually sure what she was doing.

Max took a short moment to look at Chloe as she began squeezing her pinky.  
"I know they said I should stay with someone for at least the remainder of the day, but I don't think it's necessary to do a check-up. I feel fine," Max admitted, nodding again.

"I just want to make sure," Chloe sighed.

"Besides, I want an excuse to touch you," she jokingly let out with a smile.

"You creep," Max chuckled, looking down onto her hands. She felt slightly embarrassed by the fact that it had been a while since she had cut her nails, and they weren't even long in the pretty feminine way. It wasn't too big a deal however, as she knew Chloe couldn't care less.

Chloe couldn't help but to let out a gentle laugh as well.  
"By my qualified expertise, I must say, you do seem fine," she said as she retracted her hands.

"You haven't checked my other hand yet," Max was quick to say while bending her index finger on her right hand. There was something she just had to try…

"Don't get needy now," Chloe sighed with a smile as she began squeezing the fingers on Max's other hand.

She made a subtle smirk, waiting for Chloe to get to her pinky. It wasn't long before Chloe placed her fingers around Max's pinky and began squeezing, and just as she did, Max let out a deep, sensual moan. She couldn't hold it long however, as she saw the surprised look on Chloe, making Max burst into laughter.

"You're the freaking creep!" Chloe began laughing as well, as she realized Max was joking.

Max spend a couple more seconds laughing before she looked back at Chloe.  
"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it," she smiled, feeling rather giddy.

Chloe simply rolled her eyes, before turning her head to look out the window. It looked like she had something on her mind, though her subtle smile remained. Her thoughts were quick to reveal themselves however, as Chloe placed the palm of her hand on top of Max's hand, almost holding it in place.

"It's nice to chill with you again Max. My life has been a little too dramatic after you left"  
Chloe held a little tighter around Max's hand.

"I really need to just relax with a friend," she let out with the tender smile.

Max wanted to say something, or at least give off a smile in return, but her mind was occupied, as indistinguishable memories began forming inside her head. She could remember parts of a situation similar to this one, but not the source of the memory, or even the exact happenings. Just sort of a déjà vu feeling.

_I keep remembering something when I talk with Chloe. At least when she says something specific. It feels as if I was with her before my accident, but she told me that we haven't talked since the day I left Arcadia Bay, but the look in her eyes just seems so familiar.. And why is it I feel so weird when she is close to me? I guess I could have just dreamt about her and later forgotten… but… it's partly remarkable joy when I really think about her… and partly heart shattering sadness._

"Or we can just sit here in silence while I hold your hand," Chloe whispered out as she hadn't gotten a response from Max.  
"Not awkward at all…"

"Oh, sorry!" Max was quick to apologize, as she shook her head.  
"Kinda got lost in my thoughts for a second," she admitted, before squeezing Chloe's hand as well.  
"I know how you feel. Even though I can't exactly remember what has happened the last few days, I feel as if it was somewhat dramatic as well"

Max looked down, having a hard time sharing her thoughts while looking at the blue-haired girl. Looking at her own legs instead, she paid close attention to the hole in her pants around the knee area. The hospital apparently couldn't clean one of the bloodstains and had to cut it away. They apologized for not sewing it back together in time…  
"Chloe… being with you brings up memories. Memories that shouldn't really exist…" she said with a nervous voice. She didn't want to confuse her friend with thoughts that were probably inconsequential, yet it was difficult not to speak her mind, just after Chloe opened up to her.

"I think I know you, better than I should. Like, as if we have spent days together… just sharing our deepest thoughts and worries" Max finally had the courage to look up at her friend; an action she was quick to regret. Chloe didn't seem to feel the same way, as her facial expression just showed hints of confusion.  
"Or something like that…" she tried to retract a little.

"That wouldn't make much sense," Chloe said bluntly, making Max feel despondent.  
"But what kinda freaks me out…" she continued.  
"Is that the shirt you were wearing when I found you– the shirt you're wearing right now- I have the exact same shirt," Chloe ended while looking at Max's torso.

Automatically, Max looked down onto herself, seeing the red shirt she was wearing. It had an outlined drawing of a cute little monster on it, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. It did feel somewhat recognizable, oddly enough.

_I can't believe I haven't changed my clothes yet… but Chloe is right. I don't even remember this shirt._

"I honestly don't know where I got this from. I don't even remember having a shirt like this," Max admitted. She could feel a subtle anxious feeling, filling her head. It felt as if she had been wearing this shirt before…

"The lines on the chest, is Solid Ground's logo," Chloe let out while staring at Max's shirt.

"A scream-o band?" Max managed to pull off a small smirk, trying to block out the rising anxiety.

"Hey. Just because I own a shirt like that, doesn't mean that it's some trashy rock," Chloe responded, slightly offended.

"Well, is it?" Max questioned.

"No!" The blue-haired girl was quick to answer. A few seconds passed…  
"…yes" Chloe decided to change her answer with a downhearted voice, while keeping her attention on the logo.

Max noticed that Chloe had been staring at her chest for quite a while and even though she was surely just staring at the drawing of the monster, it still felt slightly embarrassing.

"Can you please stop staring at my chest?" Max requested, failing to advert Chloe's eyes.

"But those boobs…" Chloe let out, a little too sincere, with a hazy look in her eyes.

"My god, Chloe!" Max almost squealed as she was quick to cover her chest with her arms, as she could feel the heat appearing around her face.

While Chloe quickly began chuckling, she placed her right hand over the right side of her face. It didn't take long for the chuckle to turn into a girly laugh however.

"Come," Chloe's laugh slowly became softer.  
"Sit on the edge of the bed, with your legs hanging off the side"

Max raised an eyebrow.  
"Why do you keep requesting me to sit in a specific position on the bed?" Max questioned, feeling rather curios about Chloe's requests.

"We need to check your reflexes," Chloe smiled as she lifted herself up from the bed, before grabbing the wool cap on top of her head and throwing it with impressive accuracy on to a chair across the room.

"Do we need to, or do you just want to?" Max questioned with a sigh, as she looked at the top of Chloe's newly revealed hair.

"I just want to," Chloe admitted without hesitation.

It was with slow movements that Max shuffled to the edge of the bed, letting her legs hang off the side.  
"Can't we just… eat and sleep?" Max meant it as a joke, but as the words came out of her mouth, it actually sounded like a brilliant idea.

"In a perfect world, yeah. Besides, we need to read that letter you had on you before we go to bed," Chloe responded, as she bend down before Max to get in knee-height.

"I told you Chloe, I don't feel comfortable reading that letter. What if it really is a suicide note? I honestly can't remember" Max prepared herself for whatever Chloe was about to do.

"But what if it isn't?" Chloe was quick to answer with a question.  
"It might give us an idea of why you were at the lighthouse in the first place, besides, didn't you mention that the paper looked like it was ripped out of your journal? That has to mean something" Chloe did make a solid argument, but Max still looked uncertain. There was just something about the mysterious letter that felt wrong.

_It actually is rather late… and I'm probably going to read at some point. I just–_

"Ouch!" Max suddenly exclaimed as Chloe hit her on the knee with the side of her hand. It didn't really hurt, but it was mostly the surprise that made Max exclaim the word of pain.  
"What are you doing?" She asked, looking at Chloe who was making odd motions with her hands.

"Checking your reflexes. If I hit you on the right spot, just under the kneecap, your body should automatically react" It was confident response Chloe presented, but the fact that it looked like she was pretending to be some sort of ninja, didn't really help her credibility.

"Well, it obviously didn't work, so can I hit you now?" Max questioned with an obvious hint of desire.

"It didn't work because I didn't hit you at the right spot. Maybe it's because of your pants getting in the way. Take them off," Chloe said with her usual 'not-sure-if-joking' voice.

"That would be a no. Why not just hit me on the other knee, you know, since there is a hole; exposing the knee?" Max was quick to deny Chloe's request, by offering a compromise.

"I would've, but I was kinda worried that you had bruises or something" Chloe looked up at Max from her kneeling position. For some reason, Max found it rather adorable.

"Do you see any bruises?" She responded.

"No, but–"

"The reason I have the hole, is because there was a blood stain on my pants, remember? There is no actual damage to my body… oddly enough," Max interrupted.

Chloe waved her head from side-to-side while silently mouthing Max's words.

"Don't make fun of me," Max smiled, looking back down at Chloe. The lingering apprehension that had been hanging in the air was ever so slowly brought down and replaced with the sensation of a fulfilling, friendly atmosphere.

"Hiya!" Chloe suddenly cried out, before hitting Max on her exposed knee with the side of her hand.

No response.

"Wata!" Again, Chloe yelled out a random combination of letters as she repeatedly hit her friend on the knee. After a few more tries, Chloe stopped exaggerating her actions and switched to quickly hitting her friend on different spots around the knee area, with less force. This went on for a while…

"Do you really think the letter is a suicide note?" Chloe asked Max, while keeping her attention on hitting the knee.  
"And shouldn't we refer to it as a note, instead of a letter then?"

"What is the difference?" Max asked, before pondering the question herself.

"A letter is usually considerably more formal than a note, in addition, it would also be longer, consisting of several paragraphs, whereas a note is usually just a short, informal, message" Chloe enlightened Max, quite surprisingly.

"Stop doing that" Max demanded with a cold tone.

"Doing what?"

"Being smarter than me… and using big words," Max mumbled.

She had always known that Chloe was smarter than most people would think, but it was rare that she actually showed that side of herself.

Chloe looked thoughtful for a while, but kept hitting her friend on the knee.  
"A letter is hella boring and long, but a note is really dope and short," she finally said.

"Way better" Max smiled whole-heartily.

"But to answer your previous question; no. I can't imagine it being a suicide note… or letter. I honestly don't think it's even related to my accident. It might just be a list of groceries or– woah!" Max suddenly interrupted herself, as Chloe seemed to finally hit the right spot on Max's knee, leading her to quickly and involuntary kick her foot up, unfortunately hitting her poor friend in the stomach.

"Sorry! Chloe, are you alright?!" Max panicked as she looked at Chloe who was holding a hand to her stomach, seemingly having a hard time to breathe. It looked relatively painful.

"Soldier down…" Chloe managed to let out with a hoarse voice as she fell to the side, curling up into a ball.

"Chloe…" Max said carefully, as she got off the bed to check on her friend. Her body looked tense and she seemed to have one eye closed in an attempt to cope with the pain.  
"Dude… you alright?" Max had a hard time getting a response from her friend, so maybe a casual approach was the way to go.

"Been better," Chloe finally responded, but kept her ball-like position on the floor.

Max couldn't help but to give off a relieved smile. "It worked" Max decided to state the obvious fact, as she placed herself down on the floor next to her friend, lying down. There was no apparent reason to do so, but since it was mostly Max's fault that lead Chloe to the floor, it would only be fair if she got down on her level as well.

**Chapter 2**

Seconds quickly became minutes, as both the girls were lying next to each other on the floor, not saying anything. Chloe no longer showed any sign of being in pain, as she had been softly looking into Max's eyes for quite a while. Max had been doing to same, having a lasting smile on her lips. The room had become darker, but there was no mistaken the soft smile Chloe was wearing as well. Max couldn't recall a time where she felt more comfortable… more relaxed. It was odd, considering she was lying on the hard floor, but she had gotten lost in Chloe's blue eyes. They were almost reaching out to her, begging to tell her the story of the things they had seen and they things they imagine the future will bring. Chloe's black eyelashes brought out the feminine features that she didn't always bring into the light. The distance they have had when Max left Chloe in Arcadia Bay, had slowly been wearing out the bond they had spent years creating, but given how strong it was, it had remained through the years and there was nothing, which could change that. A familiar feeling crept up on Max, but as usual, she couldn't describe it. The best word would be anticipation. Almost as if, her body tried to push her to do something. As if it knew something that Max's mind didn't. Not being able to fully understand the feeling, Max decided not to act on it and instead closed her eyes with a smile.

"Should we read that damn letter or what?" Max decided to break the silence, with something that she knew would please Chloe. However, she got an unexpected response.

"We don't need to," Chloe said with a quiet voice. Her point of interest didn't change, as she kept looking at Max, with the lasting sense of contentment.

"You're not curios anymore?" Max questioned, having a hard time not to faulty react to the sensuous ambiance Chloe's current presence provided.

"Of course, but it doesn't really matter. If you feel uncomfortable reading it, then let's just burn that shit and stop it from bothering you" Chloe had the most sincere and genuine smile, that Max had witnessed coming from the girl next to her. She seemed so mature, yet so playful.

"Thanks Chloe," Max didn't choose her words; they simply slipped out of her mouth.  
"How about we read a little, so we know what it is, then we can choose whether or not stop?" The proposition was worded oddly. In reality, Max wanted to read it herself without Chloe, but the word 'we' just seemed natural in that particular sentence. Spending this amount of time– however short it may have been- with Chloe, had displayed a sense of trust Max hadn't experienced before.

_Chloe needs to know what the letter says. She says she's curios, but it seems like she is concerned as well. I can't leave her hanging._

"Sure Max. If that's how you want it," Chloe responded before stretching her entire body, looking like she was about to yawn.

"Go sit on the bed and I'll get the letter," Max said while getting up from the floor, quickly having to adjust to a sense of mild vertigo.

"You're not the boss of me," Chloe smiled before getting up as well, and despite her statement, she began walking towards the bed.

"I should remember that response" Max made a mental note as she walked towards the desk, where the letter was placed off to the side.

With a thump, Chloe had lifelessly fallen down onto the bed, practically face-first, even missing the pillow.

"I said sit on the bed, Chloe," Max sighed without even turning around.  
"Not… ragdoll on the bed"

"Mmmfmmf" Was the clear response she got from Chloe, having her face buried in a blanket.

Looking at the letter lying on the desk, Max experienced as sense of uncertainty. Imagining what the letter would say, the letter that she had on her when she was found, lying in a pool of blood. It was almost as if she could recall writing it, with a heavy heart. The thing that made Max doubt, was the fact that she didn't want anything to change… maybe the letter did provide answers, for better or for worse. What would be the point of reading it, if it only caused heartache? Why seek answers, if you're happy with living in ignorance? Is satisfying ones curiosity really worth it, if it would mean sacrificing ones well-being? Max had been happy to spend time with Chloe; overjoyed really… maybe there was a reason not to be happy… maybe it was wrong to fell carefree. There must have been a reason why she was found half-dead at the lighthouse…

As the thoughts showering through Max's head, kept making her more anxious, something caught her eye. Next to the letter was the basket of flowers her friend had bought for her, however, she had missed something. A white letter was buried in the middle of the basket. Only parts of the white corners could be seen, with the rest being covered by the sprouting flowers. Chloe must had forgotten to tell Max that she had written a letter to her as well. She considered asking Chloe about it, but something stopped her. Maybe there was a reason that Chloe didn't mention it… Looking back at her friend still lying on the bed, with her head buried into a blanket, Max couldn't resist peeking. As she went to grab the letter, the mixed scent of the different flowers made its way to her nostrils and filled her with a sense of delight. She first noticed the hand-written words written with black letters all across the white paper, which she was now holding in her hand.

I've never been good at writing my thoughts down, but there is something you need to know.  
Max… I bought these flowers for you. I hope you like them. I'm sorry I won't be there when you wake up.

Max stopped reading for a second.  
_She must have thought I was still unconscious when she brought the basket with the letter. Maybe that's why she haven't mentioned it…_

But whatever the reason for you being unconscious at the lighthouse; whether it was an accident, whether it was someone who did this to you, or if it was your own choice… you need to know that I will always be there to find you and pick you up.

Max barely had time to feel happy about Chloe words, as she noticed there were several line breaks before a new paragraph started, written with dark-blue letters instead of black.

_She must have written this with another pen. Maybe the first part at the flower shop and the rest at the hospital?_

Whatever the reason, Max decided to read the rest, holding the letter firmly in her right hand. Something told her that she needed to read these words carefully.

Max, even though it has been years since we have talked face-to-face, I still feel as if something have happened between us recently. I can't describe it accurately, but somehow I can't shake the feeling that I had something to do with you being at the lighthouse… I remember the sun going under the ocean… the birds singing… and I remember standing beside you through it all. I know I am just imaging this, but it feels like something happened between us. Something important… something I never wanted to forget.  
It pains me that I can't put it into words… that I can't tell you what you mean to me.

The letter ended. Not even her name was placed at the bottom, but there was no mistaken the shaky handwriting Chloe had when she was nervous. Max kept looking at the words, reading the last sentence a couple of times, having a hard time fully grasp her words.

_She does feel like we have been together recently, but… she told me that she didn't._

Max looked up, letting the last beam of orange sunlight light up her face.

_No. She avoided answering… _

**Chapter 3**

It slowly came back… parts of her blocked memories presented themselves, with frightening clarity. Not everything Chloe said was something she imagined. Something did happen.  
Max could feel her eyes watering, but there was no hint of sadness in the mixture of her emotions. She didn't remember why she was at the lighthouse, she didn't remember writing the letter that was lying on the desk before her, but it did not matter. She remembered what she felt was important… she remembered being in Chloe's room, lying beside her with their fingers intertwined, wearing a smile as they moved closer to each other…  
Max turned her head slightly to the left, looking at the other letter lying on the table. The letter she had written herself. There was nothing it could give her… Max was already aware of everything she wanted to remember… and she knew there were things she didn't want to know. Time passes… fate leads everything. Simple as that.

"Let's burn it," Max said with a confident voice without moving a muscle.

"Hm?" A muffled voice came from the bed.

"Burn the letter," Max clarified, feeling the consequences of the choice she was about to make.

"Are you sure?" Chloe finally lifted her head from the bed, so she could form clear words.

Max turned her head towards with Chloe with an optimistic smile on her lips.  
"Positive"

There was a sense of suspense hanging in the air as Chloe got up from the bed and grabbed a lighter on her nightstand with no protest. She must have seen the assuring expression on her friend, so she didn't feel the desire to ask questions. Only a look of confirmation was needed as Chloe placed herself next to Max. A quiet nod lead to Chloe lean forward and open up the window behind the table, before she grabbed the letter and placed it in the middle, face-down.

"Don't we need a tray or something to place underneath, before we burn it?" Max questioned, not having much experience in burning things.

"Think I would have a flammable table in my room?" Chloe made a crooked smile.  
"It'll just leave a mark"

Max looked at the table. It was hard to tell if it was expensive or not, but it had been in her room ever since she could remember.  
"And that won't be a problem?" Max asked as Chloe began flickering the lighter until a small flame appeared.

"It'll be our little memento," Chloe smiled softly as she moved the lighter closer to the crumbled letter. Max tensed her body as the flame reached the edge of the piece of paper. As soon as the letter had a sustainable flame slowly proceeding to surround the entirety of the letter, Chloe turned off the lighter and took a step back to stand next to her friend. It was a beautiful sight to see the flames faintly lighting up the room, as the sun no longer provided the light that was shining through the window a couple of minutes ago. Dark, thick smoke began to rise, but was luckily lead out through the open window. The flame spread slowly, as the first pieces of ash fell from the paper.

"I read your letter," Max said with a gentle tone.  
"The one in the basket," she added, hoping that Chloe wouldn't respond with hostility.

It took a while, but Chloe finally reacted as she took a short breath.  
"I'm sorry," she whispered.  
"I should have told you that I feel the same way as you… that I feel like we have experienced something together"

Max kept quiet as she looked at the friend next to her. She wanted to break in, but she could see Chloe had more to say.

"It just seemed so odd… when you told me that you felt like something had happened between us recently, I kinda freaked. I played it off as if you were the weird one," Chloe's voice was downhearted, but she managed to let out a gentle chuckle.

"It's the situation that is weird Chloe," Max decided to comfort her friend, yet she hesitated to place a hand on Chloe's back.

"That's why I wanted to read the letter… if it is just a grocery list, then maybe it would put my mind at ease," Chloe sighed.  
"If it confirmed that something actually did happen between us, then… then we could take it from there"

Max kept resting her hands down her sides, as she focused her attention on the burning paper in front of her. Half of it was already gone… the rest was still readable.  
"Why did you agree to burn it then?" Max questioned, getting ready to put the fire out if there was a hint of regret in Chloe's voice.

"I could see it in your eyes… you felt uncomfortable when I brought it up. You didn't want to know," she responded with a soothing voice. Max kept still.  
"I'm glad you're here with me Max. I don't want to risk you being unhappy, just to help my curiosity. I just want to know… if I should do something. I have had these thoughts when I looked at you and I am unsure if it would be right or wrong to go through with them," Chloe had a discouraged voice, but for some reason she sent of a smile, before she continued.  
"But a letter shouldn't decide that"

Max could feel her heart beginning to beat harder as she adverted her attention from the burning paper and looked back at her friend. There was something beginning to rise to the surface. Something that had been buried under a pile of fear and uncertainty. Max took a breath and braced herself, as she silently began moving her hand closer to Chloe's, trying not to shake. She had felt her failures, she had watched her passion leave, but she was still breathing, the possibility was still there. Time almost stood still as Max could feel her index finger making contact with Chloe's hand. A silence only disturbed by the burning letter filled the room, as Max could feel Chloe opening up her hand and letting her fingers intertwine with Max's. Now both looking at the final piece of the paper being turned into ashes, everything felt content as the two girls were holding hands. There were still a lot of questions hanging in the air, but Max was satisfied by what she knew and Chloe was satisfied as long as she had Max by her side.  
Only a small piece of the paper was left and due to the rise of heat, it had been flipped over to reveal the text at the bottom of the letter. Max was unsure if Chloe could read it from this distance, but she herself could clearly recognize her own handwriting.

Fate is repetitive until the proper outcome has been reached.  
Chloe is the only one who matters. Don't forget that you–

That was all it said. The final sentence was incomplete. As much as Max wanted not to care, the words she read, raised her curiosity.

_Fate is repetitive? _

Without the context, Max found it difficult to interpret the meaning of the specific sentence. There was nothing to do however, as the remainder of the letter had been completely enveloped in the flames. The uncomfortable feeling of doubt slowly became non-essential though, as she could feel Chloe gently rubbing her thumb across the back of Max's hand. As if she knew something concerned her.  
With a smile, Max leaned closer to Chloe so she could rest her head on her friend's shoulder as the fire slowly died out. There was no reason to agonize, trying to interpret the meaning of those lost words. The only thing that mattered was the meaning of the unfinished sentence, the very last on the page. The things she had experienced and the things she might have forgotten, all while the dear memories was hidden securely inside her mind, made the unwritten words seem clear. Maybe Max was wrong, maybe it was just wishful thinking, but she would always imagine the very last sentence on the letter, saying:

_Don't forget that you love Chloe._

**The end.**


End file.
